What If
by mystical
Summary: Draco realises he has feelings for the last person he wanted to, but when he confronts her, how will she react? rated R for swearing and mild references, subject to change.
1. Default Chapter

**Dedicated to my best friend Sinead (Yotama).**** Thank you so much for introducing me to FanFiction and for being you!!!**

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**Denial**

Draco Malfoy woke up in the Slytherin sixth year boys' dorm. He'd had that dream again. _The dream. The one he hated having, but at the same time went to bed earlier every night to get the dream. Stupid, yeah, but logic had never really mattered much to Draco. He sat upright, his hands sweating furiously. Damn it, what the hell was happening to him?   _

He heard a sound in the room. He looked across to the bed across from him to see Crabbe waking up. 

"Did ya say summat Draco?" he asked groggily. 

"What?!" Draco spat in an angry whisper.

"I thought I heard you say something."

"Well I guess you thought wrong idiot."

Crabbe looked at him for a minute, still looking puzzled. But then he always was a bit clueless. Much like Goyle. Both of them, two clueless brutes. But they came in useful sometimes. Sometimes. 

"Oh." He finally said. "Sorry Draco."

Draco motioned him to go back to sleep with a swift flick of his hand. Crabbe lay back down immediately. After a few moments Draco flopped back on his own bed.  That was close. If Crabbe had woken up any earlier, he would have heard _exactly what he had said. Her name. Her beautiful name. He was actually, thoroughly convinced he was in love with her. This was a whole new league. Like was one thing, crush was different. But love. That was big._

            But he had to ignore it. He was a Malfoy. He wasn't supposed to feel things like that. Especially not for her sort. What the hell would his dad say? Lucius Malfoy's opinion had never bothered Draco that much in the past, but if his father tried to kill him, that would have somewhat of an impact on his life. For example, the termination of it.  No one would ever guess his feelings for her – he just had to keep it that way. He'd managed it for the last few years; all he had to do was act like he hated her. Admittedly, it would tear him up (cue cheesy muggle book) but he could do it. Maybe.

            He sighed. At least he wasn't in denial anymore. That was a good sign, right. At least he was admitting it, to himself anyhow. He hadn't actually said it aloud yet. Did that make a difference? "Probably" a little voice in his head said. It sounded like a younger Malfoy. God did he really used to sound that obnoxious? And why was he asking himself questions? In his head, nonetheless. He was a psycho. 

            He contemplated saying it out. Yes no yes no. No. What if Crabbe was still awake? In response, he heard a huge snore erupt from Crabbe's lumbering form. No chance was that oaf awake. He thought about getting up and checking everyone else's nocturnal behaviour. Then he remembered he was a lazy git and so stayed put.  Nah, no one would hear him. Not if he whispered it. 

"I am in love with a bloody mudblood." He seethed.

Then he thought of the 'bloody mudblood'. Her hair, her eyes, her lips – everything. He made a personal reminder never to call her by that name again. He tried again, in a barely audible whisper.

"I am in love…with Hermione Granger."


	2. Encounters

DISCLAIMER: JK Rowling owns everything but me – they'll never catch me mwahahahaha!! Em yes. Ok. Anyway, on with the story!!

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**Encounters**

The next morning Hermione Granger flounced down to the Great Hall for breakfast. She skipped over to the long Gryffindor table and sat down beside her best friends Ron and Harry. 

"Gooooooodmorning gentlemen!" she said, game show style.

"You're cheery." Ron said through a mouthful of cereal.

"Well observed Ronald, well observed!" she answered, grabbing some toast.

Harry looked up from his breakfast.

"Any particular reason why?" he asked dully.

"Yes." She said.

They waited for a few moments before Ron turned around to look her in the face and said "Yes….."

Hermione giggled.  "Yes yes!"

Ron and Harry looked at each other, completely dumbfounded. Why was Hermione happy? Where there some exams coming up that only she knew about? Had Dumbledore just asked her to spend the rest of her life in classes?

Then Harry's eyes widened. "Damn it Hermione, did you steal any of my beer from my dorm?!" he accused.

"You have beer in your dorm?" Ron and Hermione asked in unison.

"I didn't say that."  Harry replied awkwardly, and resumed to swirling his cereal – hiding a most probably blushing face.

"My God you two! Have you completely forgotten what day it is?" she exclaimed.

"Um, Monday?" they answered.

"Yes – Monday! And what happens first on a Monday?" she looked at them. When no reply came, she sighed and informed them brightly "Double Transfiguration!"

Harry groaned while Hermione beamed brightly. 

"Um, actually Hermione…" Ron began, pulling something out of his pocket. "We have double transfiguration _next Monday. This Monday, we have double Potions first." He said, showing her his timetable he had taken out._

"What?!" she exclaimed. She snatched the crumpled piece of parchment out of his hands. She looked at it for a few moments before banging her fist in the table and throwing the parchment in Ron's general direction. 

"Sorry." Ron said apologetically. Harry kicked him under the table and made an angry face at him. Happy Hermione was much nicer than angry Hermione. Much nicer.  

"Dumb school."  Hermione murmured as she reached for another slice of toast. Everybody within listening range (meaning two extra people seeing as she had murmured) looked at her in shock. Hermione – criticising school? What kind of crazy world was this?!  

"What the hell is that asshole looking at?" Hermione said, motioning at the Slytherin table. Normally, her friends would be amazed at her once-in-a-lifetime swearing, but they were still trying to get over her last comment.  

Ron and Harry followed her hand. Sure enough, Draco Malfoy was sitting at the table smiling contently at them.  When he noticed the angry glares he got in return, he busied himself buttering toast, talking, fiddling with his cup – anything to avoid their gaze.

"Odd." Harry Thought. No angry faces, no smart comments, no hand gestures for them? Not the normal Malfoy response. Then again, this hadn't been a normal morning. 

***~*~*~*~***

            Hermione was running towards the Potions Dungeon. Snape was going to kill her. She was 10 minutes late because she had had to go back to her room to get her books. On her way, a tall figure stepped in front of her and gently grabbed her elbows.

"Granger." Its voice said. She looked up to see Draco Malfoy in front of her. "Um, hi." He said, smiling. Smiling? Yes, there was no doubt – he was smiling the same smile he had on that morning.

"What do you want Malfoy?" she asked, exasperated.

He looked a bit confused. "Um, just to say hi, you know?"

She looked even more confused. "Ok…hi. Can I go now?"

Draco looked at her. She was so beautiful. He must have looked at her for some time because the next thing he knew she was saying:

"Hello, Draco! Can I go now?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Huh? Oh um…" he stuttered, laughing lightly. "Yeah, sure." He smiled that smile. 

"What is up with him?" Hermione thought.

"Ok, kind of need you to let go of me for me to do that." She said pointedly.

"Oh God yeah, sorry." He blushed and let go, realizing he'd been keeping her in a fairly firm grasp.  She rubbed her elbows and gave him a quizzical glance. She walked off, muttering something that sounded like "Weirdo".

Draco waited before she was out of sight before running to the Slytherin common room. As soon as he got there he kicked the wall in frustration. 

"What the hell was that Malfoy!" he yelled at himself. He looked around, thankful the room was empty. Why was the room so empty? Oh yeah, _class. He realized he had potions. She would be there. There was no way he would be able to face her so soon. Snape wouldn't mind anyway. He sat down in a chair. What had he done? Hadn't he decided to ignore his feelings? _

"But you can't do that. Na na na na na!" the obnoxious, younger him voice sang from inside.

"Shut the hell up!" he screamed again. Damn he was glad no one else was there. 

Hermione arrived in the dungeon 20 minutes late for class. 

"Ah, Granger. So glad you decided to take the time out of your busy schedule to join us." Snape snarled. A lot of the Slytherins laughed. Ok, it hadn't been _that funny._

"I'm sorry professor! I had to go -" 

"I don't want to know your pathetic excuses Granger. Sit down and 10 points from Gryffindor, and thank your stars it's not 20."

Hermione did as she was told and slid into her seat. When Snape turned his back, Ron leant back and whispered to her.

"Hey, how come you're so late?" 

"I met Draco." She whispered back. Ron looked at her incredulously.

"Long and very confusing story. Tell you later." She said. Ron nodded and turned around to face the front quickly. But not quick enough.

"Weasley! 5 points from Gryffindor!" Snape yelled. Ron moaned and picked up his quill again. 

Little note from me: wow thank you so much everybody!! Lots of reviews in such a short space of time – you're all brilliant!! Anyway, in answer to your question 'me', it's rated R because I'm not entirely sure of the plot yet and I don't trust my mind so really it's just a precaution J Thank you everyone who said it's interesting – I hope you mean good interesting!! Somnium Niveus – wow thank you so much! And thank you to everyone else who reviewed too! I was going to name you all but instead I'll just upload this chapter and work on the rest! Please keep reviewing though and all questions and suggestions are welcome!!


	3. On the way to Arithmancy

**Disclaimer: well now, I own more or less nothing really. *sniff* poor little deprived me.**

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**On the way to Arithmancy**

"He actually blushed?" laughed Harry. Hermione couldn't help but laugh herself. It was pretty weird. Why had Draco blushed and been really, well, nice (for want of a better word)? She looked across at Ron. Well, where he had been seconds before; now he was rolling on the floor. Harry and Hermione stood up and looked at him. 

"I'm sorry!" he gasped. "But it's funny!" Ron caught a few of the curious glances from other students and quickly jumped up and dusted his robes off. "Ok maybe it wasn't that funny." He started to chuckle again but quickly regained composure before it got any worse. 

"Well I have Arithmancy next so I'm going to go look over my notes." Hermione stated happily as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "What are you two going to do in your free class?"

Harry and Ron both gave her the have-you-gone-mad look as they picked up their brooms.

"Of course, Quidditch." She said as she slapped her forehead. "God forbid you should study or anything…" 

"Honestly Herm," Ron muttered in passing. "You should know by now. Call yourself our friend!" 

Hermione laughed casually and walked out of the Great Hall towards the staircase. 

**~*~*~*~ ***

Draco watched Hermione leave the Great Hall. She started heading upstairs. Draco decided to follow her. "Since when are you her stalker Malfoy?" the little inner voice spoke up. Recently Draco had been having a lot of conversations with himself. How sad was that? Whatever, he didn't have time to asses his sadness levels on the Richter scale.  Right now he was just going to watch Hermione Granger. He didn't know what he was going to say or even if he was going to say anything.  He just had to follow her. He didn't know why but saw no point in questioning his gut instinct. Hell, he was talking to his inner childhood voices enough already without talking to organs and their little voices too.

Just then he realized that Hermione had stopped walking and was looking at him. He quickly looked up.

"Draco are you following me?" she asked him bluntly.

"No." he said a little too quickly. "Yes." He said, quieter this time.

"Ok…why?"

"I was just wondering if you, if we, um…." 

'Ask her!' the inner voice yelled at him.  "Shut the hell up damn inner voice!"

"Excuse me?" Hermione said incredulously. "Did you just tell me to shut up? And what did you call me?" 

Damn I said that out loud. What the hell is wrong with me? 

"No, no, no! I was talking to my…never mind. Um yeah, I was wondering if we could possibly, um, you know…"

"No I don't know. Look Draco I have places to be so could you spit it out?" she asked. "You we're wondering if we…"

"If we," he said. Big moment coming up. "If we had any Potions homework?" 

What was that Malfoy? _"Do we have any potions homework?" Be still my beating heart, romance or what? Oh God now she's looking at you funny._

"Em I think so. Why don't you ask Snape?" she said, still giving him a weird look. 

"Ok thanks, I'll do that. Thanks. Yeah thanks." 

'Gee Malfoy, I guess your thankful then' Mocked his inner voice.

"Ok." Hermione said before she turned around and started walking again. She had only got a few paces when she stopped again. She turned on her heel.

"I notice you're still behind me." She stated. Draco looked at her, then at the ground then up again. Ah. She had a point. He was barely 15 centimetres away from her. That was close. Close enough to…a-hem, yes. Was this some magnetic force thing? Maybe he should just ask her.

"Hermione," Draco said, with more force than he knew he had in him, especially in the jelly form he usually turned into when he saw her. "Would you go out with me?"

***~*~*~*~***

Hermione looked at Draco. Had she heard right? Had he just said what she thought he'd said? It was then she noticed that the corridor was empty, they were standing fairly close and both of them were breathing quite heavily. 

"Um, wha…" she started. Draco's eyes suddenly widened and he jumped back, looking around him precariously.

"Um… gotcha!" he said quickly, then ran off. 

Hermione stood in a daze for a few moments. What exactly had just happened? _Gotcha? What the …? _

She went up to the Gryffindor common room and sat in a chair, curling her legs under her and rubbing her temples. What had just happened? That wasn't your average Malfoy practical joke. Maybe she should ask Ron or Harry. She thought back to lunchtime when she had told them about her morning encounter with Draco. No. they probably wouldn't understand. Could it be possible Draco had been serious? The only way to find out would be to ask him. Unless…

Hermione looked around the room. Everybody else was either at class or enjoying their free period elsewhere. It wouldn't matter that much if she missed Arithmancy – she was way ahead of everyone in the class, and anyway, she might not get this chance again.

She darted up the staircase to her dorm. When she got there, she looked around once more to make sure Lavender or any of the other girls in her year weren't there. Nope, completely empty. She lay down on the floor beside her bed and slid her hand under. A few minutes and several Bertie Bott's Beans later, her hand felt a wooden box. She smiled and pulled it out quickly. 

Opening the box, she pulled out the photos and little knick knacks she'd kept in there since first year. Soon she found what she was looking for. She held up the tiny bottle to the sunlight, smiling.

This little bottle would answer all her questions.

**Little note from me:  And that ladies and gentlemen, is chapter 3. Like it? Hate it? Well whatever, but please tell me!! Thank you to all my reviewers – my faithful ones and new! And Amy, here is the little mention you asked for. Everyone say "Hi Amy!!!" Anyway, once again thank you to all you reviewers, please keep it up! It makes me all happy when I get out of the longest Chemistry lesson ever and find a brand new review waiting!! Hope you enjoy this one and, as if you didn't know by now, please review!!**


	4. A little remnant

**A little pre-note from me: Well this is chapter 4 then! Thanks to all my reviewers! And lovely foe, I think the reason its not on d/h R stuff is because I didn't pick specific characters because I wasn't sure how this would work out and didn't want to constrict my options! Sorry! But I'm glad you love my story and the only way I can think to make it easier for you to find it is if you do an author search and I think so far I am the only mystical with a small 'm'. Hope I could help! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you all like this one too!**

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**A Little Remnant**

            Hermione held up the bottle. Polyjuice Potion. She had secretly saved a few drops of the potion when Harry, Ron and she had first made it in second year. Before the boys had joined her in Myrtle's bathroom, she had bottled it so that the final hair was still to be added. There was just enough left for one person. If she took this, she could easily slip down into the Slytherin common room and ask Draco about his feelings. Granted, she'd have to work out a more subtle approach but it would all run like clockwork if it worked out right. If. After all, she _had turned into a cat last year – an experience she'd prefer not to repeat. But she would be more careful this time. Snape had recently taught them how to make a potion to determine whether or not a hair was animal or human. Freaky coincidence, but one she was now very grateful of. _

            She would take the potion tonight. But first she'd need to get a hair…where the hell is she going to get a Slytherin hair at this time? Then she got a brainwave – she was prone to them, after all. It was obvious really. She'd go down to the Great Hall and look for a hair among the Slytherin table – Draco and his cronies always sat in the same places so she could take Crabbe or Goyle's hair. Well, only one of them had hair, but she could never remember their names. Those cakes with the sleeping potion were easy to brew up so she'd just fool them with that again. Unfortunately for them, the years had not been kind to them in the knowledge department. They were still gormless idiots, but for once that was an advantage. To her, anyhow. 

            She packed the potion away under her bed again and went down to the Great Hall, still complimenting herself on how genius her plan was. She started humming a muggle song as she walked quietly over to the Slytherin table. When she got to where Draco usually sits she bent down to search for any hairs. She found a few long silvery blonde ones, presumably Malfoy's, so she knew she was looking in the right area. She smiled as she found one greasy hair that looked like it matched one of his 'bodyguards'. Perfect.

Hermione stood up happily and started walking away, humming that song again. 

"Miss Granger?" said a cold voice from behind her.

She spun round quickly to see Professor Snape standing at the teacher's platform at the front of the room. Shit – of all people! 

She put on what she hoped was an innocent looking smile. 

"Professor Snape! What a surprise!" she called, a little too enthusiastically. 

"What are you doing here?" he drawled.

"Oh I thought I left a book down here." She explained in an off-hand voice. He looked at her empty hands questioningly.

"But I didn't." she concluded. Well duh Hermione, we all figured _that one out ages ago! _

"I see." Snape said. Oh my God was he actually buying this? She was a better liar than she gave herself credit for!

"And you were under the table because…." He started. Damn, it was all a ploy – he wasn't buying any of it! She was a really bad liar who didn't even know when other people are lying.

"Because…" she stalled. "Because I dropped an earring!" 

Crap I hope he doesn't notice my ears aren't pierced. 

"Oh." He said completely uninterested. Not like Snape to miss up an opportunity to make me feel small. Maybe he was just tired. 

"10 points from Gryffindor for loitering and lying Miss Granger." He added before leaving. 

Hermione looked at him. What had he said?

"Lying, Professor?" she asked nonchalantly. 

"You don't have pierced ears Miss Granger." He stated, matter-of-factly. Hermione's hands darted to her ears immediately. Damn. 

"However, I am not going to persist in such trivial matters." He paused before giving her a look of disgust and showing his trade mark upper lip snarl. "God only knows what goes through that head of yours."

With that he swept out the door he had just come through. What the hell was that last comment about? 

Hermione smiled. She had what she had come for. Now she could get started. 

***~*~*~*~***

**          Hermione stirred the potion carefully. She couldn't afford to let any spill over the cauldron, seeing as she had so little.  She added the hair and stirred some more, a smug smile spreading on her face.  After a few more minutes stirring, she leaned in closer to smell it.  Grotesque - most probably a good sign.  She took a deep breath. Then another, just for good measure. She looked at her watch.  7.45 pm. If she took it now, she'd make sure she was back for 8.40, to give her enough time to change back.  She was using Myrtle's bathroom again and had told Harry and Ron she was going on a walk – she knew that way they wouldn't follow her. **

            Pouring the potion into the glass carefully, she thought what she would say. Nothing came to mind. 

"Aw crap! What the hell am I going to say?" she said. Or at least she thought it was her. Hermione looked in the mirror.

"Jesus!" the thing looking back at her in the mirror was not small and graceful Hermione Granger. It was a big, lumbering, ugly _thing. At least the potion had worked, but she was still taken aback by her reflection of Crabbe. Or Goyle. Which one was it? Damnit, I should have found out she thought.  But it would work out somehow. Hopefully. _

***~*~*~*~***

            Several minutes later, Hermione found herself walking down the steps to the Slytherin dungeons. Then it struck her she didn't actually know the password. It was then Millicent Bulstrode walked past her. Hermione yelled over. 

            "Hey! Millicent, what's the new password again?" she asked in a low drawl. She'd never actually heard whoever the hell's voice this was so the outcome was still surprising her. 

            "It hasn't changed yet Goyle." She sighed impatiently. So I'm Goyle then, with bristly hair. Right, remember that. "It's still the same."

            Hermione/Goyle looked at her stupidly, hoping she'd tell them the password. She sighed another drama-queen style sigh. 

            "How could you forget it? It's the best one we've ever had! It's 'Potter is a bastard'."  She said.

            "Excuse me?" Hermione asked incredulously. Then she remembered who she was. "Oh yeah, 'course. Thanks." She said. Millicent sighed and walked away. Damn that girl liked to sigh. 

Hermione staggered over to the entrance and muttered the password, then stepped inside. 

"Goyle!" a deep growl came from the left. She turned round to see Crabbe running towards her. What was he doing here?

"Fuck! I forgot to do the sleeping cake!" she whispered to herself. Crabbe came over. 

"Did Madame Pomfrey let you out already? She said you had to stay in for at least two days after that spell Draco put on you." He said. 'So I'm in the hospital wing' Hermione thought. Luck was finally being nice to her. 

"She, um, let me out for…" she looked at her watch "45 minutes." 

"Oh ok. But that spell Draco put on you, that'll mean you won't remember this will you?" Crabbe asked hopefully. More luck!

"Sure why not!" she said smiling. "I mean, yeah." 

"Good." Crabbe grabbed her arm and pulled her into a corner and they sat down. Oh oh, this wasn't supposed to happen. Damn you luck!

"Draco is really annoying me." He started. Hermione, intrigued, perked up. "He treats me like a gormless henchman, and my father says I have to obey him because his father is a very powerful Deatheater even though Draco has been refused into the Deatheather association. But Draco thinks he's brilliant and doesn't ever give me any chance to express my feelings. And he's making us do badly in classes. He's confiscated all my Oscar Wilde books because he was a muggle. It's not my fault I appreciate good writing. And he's been worse since both Pansy and Millicent refused to go out with him. He doesn't understand anything, and for someone who acts all smart, he is never willing to discuss interesting topics that I am engrossed by, such as literature, philosophy, politics and psychology. Don't you feel the same way too?" he said at an abnormally fast speed.

Hermione was baffled. She had never heard him string so many sentences together in one go, and she wasn't sure he had even taken a breath in that entire rant. This was too much to take in. All this information on Draco and Crabbe. Wow.

"Huh?" she asked, still dumbfounded. If Crabbe could work properly in class, he could easily rival her in grades. And that was something she didn't like admitting. 

Crabbe smiled. "You don't remember what I just said do you?" he asked. Hermione shook her head in agreement.

"Good. I wouldn't want you to repeat this to him. I just needed to get it off my chest." 

"'k" Hermione said, looking into space, _still trying to come to terms with what he had said. _

Crabbe stood up and slapped her on the back, making her fall slightly forward.

"Thanks Goyle. Too bad about that spell – it looked painful." He gave a sympathetic smile and walked off, scowling at people on the way to feed their lowly view of him. Hermione nodded in agreement, even though he was gone. She looked at her watch. 35 minutes left. She scanned the room quickly for Draco and found him sitting alone beside the fire. She sauntered over to him. 

He looked up. "You're back then." He stated. Hermione nodded and started to sit down.

"Did I give you permission to sit?" he asked. Hermione looked at him. He really was a slave driver. He sighed. "Sit."

She sat down and looked at him. Did she need permission to talk?

He looked up from the roaring fire he had been looking into. "Did you want something?" he asked.

"Um…" she started. How would she do this then? She looked at her watch. 30 minutes. Better cut to the chase.

"So um, what were you doing with me – I mean, Granger today?" she asked. 

"What?" he asked, his voice nervous now.

"I um, saw you talking to her earlier." She said.

"Oh. When I was talking Granger." He said. "_Hermione." He smiled._

"Thought you didn't like her." She stated.

"Never said that. I don't like her company – Potter and that lot. Never really talked to her." He resumed staring into the fire.

"Well, you were today." She said, then added "Actually, you were standing pretty close." 

He smiled. "Yeah I was, wasn't I?" he laughed inwardly.

"Um, yeah." She said. "Why?" Hermione hoped she didn't sound too blunt.

"Well…" Draco looked around him, summing up who was there. He seemed happy enough that only a few first years were in another corner talking. "Goyle, can you keep a secret?" he whispered.

Hermione felt her stomach churn. "Uh huh." 

"Well, I think I love Hermione Granger." 


	5. What If

**A little pre-note from me: thanks to my 2 reviewers! And I know them both! I was all upset – I'm only uploading this because Louise and Yotama have been very nice!! Louise wants a mention now – everyone say "hi Louise – thanks for keeping little old mystical sane!!" well, sane-ish. Is the phrase "Little old" not a bit self-contradictory? Yeah anyway, next chapter isn't coming up until I get at least 5 reviews! Pretty please? Ok, anyway – on with the story!! Hope y'all like it! (I'm from N. Ireland – why am I saying y'all?! Because it's late-ish and it's Friday and I'm hyper!! Ok I'll shut up now! Please r/r and feel free to ask me any questions via review or email if you really can't wait that long! On we go…**

**What If**

Hermione was taken aback, even a little scared. She thought Draco was had been planning some trick, not in love with her.

"Fucking hell!" she screamed, standing up. And it was her who screamed, not Goyle. The potion was wearing off for some reason. She had to get upstairs. Draco looked just as surprised as she felt. 

"_Hermione?" he whispered. _

"No." she lied, putting on a deeper voice.

"Holy crap." Draco said, putting his hand to his now sweating forehead. 

Hermione ran out of the common room and up the stairs to Myrtle's bathroom.  She realised she was crying, something she wasn't exactly prone to.  As she went into the bathroom, she looked at the mirror. She still had Goyle's face, surrounded by her own brown ringlets. Not a good look. But right now she wasn't that bothered. _Malfoy loved her. She shuddered. It physically made her feel sick. She watched in the mirror as her own features came into picture, the last remnants of Goyle finally leaving her.  She noticed her eyes were bloodshot. Crap, she'd have to sort that out before Harry and Ron saw. She froze._

Harry and Ron. What the hell were they going to say? Or any other Gryffindor, for that matter. She felt like she had betrayed all her Gryffindor roots. But why? 

"I haven't done anything wrong." She kept repeating to herself. It was Malfoy who loved her, not the other way round. She hated him. Hated, hated, hated him. She had to remember that. He loved her. 

"He loves me." She said calmly. Then the queasiness took over, and she ran to the nearest cubicle.

***~*~*~*~***

            Draco Malfoy started up the stairs out of the dungeon after Hermione. It was strange, hearing her voice coming from Goyle's body. 

            "Hermione!" he yelled. She didn't turn round. He looked at the curious faces around him, and heard a Ravenclaw girl mutter "Weirdo" under her breath. He turned around and walked back to the common room. The few people who had been there before looked at him strangely, curious about the 'scene'. He scowled at them and ran to his empty dorm, where he flopped down on his bed.

"I'm in some deep shit." He said. 

It wasn't supposed to have happened like that.  If he was going to tell her at all about his feelings, it wasn't while she was Goyle. Why the hell was she Goyle anyway? Unless…

Of course! Draco snapped up into a sitting position. It was so obvious!  Hermione had turned into Goyle because she wanted to talk to him. She liked him! She liked him too! It all made perfect sense!

Draco floated over to his trunk and sorted through his clothes. He chose a new robe he had bought at the beginning of term. As per usual, it was black. But this one was a different material or something, and his mother had commented on how flattering it was. He walked to his mirror and held the garment against him, smiling smugly. He would go to the Gryffindor tower tonight to see her. And damn, was he going to dazzle her.

***~*~*~*~***

Hermione sat in the common room, fiddling with her thumbs.  It had been an hour since her encounter with Draco and she still wasn't over it.  The guy loved her for crying out loud. And her? Hell, she didn't know what she felt. She wanted to hate him, she really did. But no one had ever said they loved her before and it felt good. She couldn't hate him. She didn't love him, but hate seemed such a strong word. 

Just then a young figure with fiery hair flopped down beside her. 

"What-cha doing?" the figure sang. Hermione immediately recognised the voice to be Ginny Weasley.

 "Ginny." Hermione stated. It was supposed to sound like a question, but it didn't come out that way.

"Yes-sum?" she asked, obviously in a cheery mood. 

Hermione looked around her to make sure Ron and Harry weren't there. 

"What if…" she started. "What if you really thought you hated someone, then that someone said they, um, had feelings for you and then you thought that you might have feelings for that person too. Except you don't want to have feelings for that person because you really just want to hate them and it would be so much easier if you could hate them but you find it's getting harder and harder to do that. And what if you would really like to talk to your best friends about your feelings for that someone but they _really hated that someone and you weren't sure how they'd react and you have no idea what you feel for this someone?" _

Ginny looked confused. Hermione felt confused.

"Well?" Hermione encouraged.

"Well…" Ginny said dreamily, lacing her fingers around her crossed knee and leaning back into the sofa. "I think I'd follow my heart and be with the someone who loves you and explain to your friends and they will be happy for you. Then the two someone's could be really happy together and in love and live happily ever after."

Hermione groaned. "Wrong answer, Ginny!" she had been hoping Ginny could have talked her out of any feelings she might be harbouring for Draco.

Ginny simply laughed. "Aw well. What does it matter anyway? It's not as if these 'someone's' exist!" 

"Yeah." Hermione smiled softly and Ginny left, cursing about some forgotten homework. 

"Um, Hermione?" a timid voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked round to see a small, round faced boy looking at her. 

"Neville, hi! How can I help?" she asked cheerily, thankful for a nice distraction.

"Um someone wants to talk to you outside." He said in a quiet voice.

"Oh?" she asked. "Who?" 

Neville didn't reply. Instead he just pulled the portrait door back further, to reveal a waiting Draco Malfoy.


	6. In the Corridor

**A little note from me: Hey everybody! Well this is chapter 6 then! Thanks to Louise, Hellbound and Lovely Foe for the reviews! Louise – aw thanks honey you're so sweet! Hellbound – wow thank you and I'm glad you liked it, and don't worry I will! Lovely foe – yes I did get your e-mail, but then I guess you figured that out from the reply I sent you…yeah. Anyway, I know I said I was going to wait until I got 5 reviews but even though I got 3 I didn't think it was fair to make them wait so long for the next one! So extra thanks to you 3 and anyone else who reviews will get a thank you too. And when I have time, I try to review my reviewers! Alrighty then, on with the story! Please R/R and don't be afraid to tell me what I'm doing wrong! **

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**In the Corridor**

            Hermione gawked at the figure standing in the corridor. What the hell was he doing here? She really didn't want to see him now. Or ever again.  Her attention turned to Neville, who was slowly backing into a corner. With one last look at the smugly smiling Draco (what did he have to look so smug about?), she grabbed Neville by the arm and pulled him into the corner. 

            "What _the fuck are you doing bringing __him here?" she whispered through clenched teeth. Neville looked shocked at Hermione's choice of colourful language._

            "I'm sorry Hermione. Really! But he wanted to see you and I was afraid of what'd he'd do to me if I didn't bring him." He whimpered, shielding his eyes from Hermione in case she felt the need to be aggressive.

            Hermione looked at him sincerely. 

            "Neville, did Malfoy threaten you?" she asked, genuinely concerned for the boy.

            Neville relaxed as Hermione's grip on him loosened. 

            "Well, not in so many words…" he saw Hermione begin to become enraged again, and quickly retraced his steps. 

"But Hermione, please, he's a, you know, he's a …"

            He left the sentence hanging, presuming the answer was obvious. Hermione looked at him sceptically.

            "A what?" she expected the words 'Death-eater' or something equally sinister to come from him.

            "A … _Slytherin." He whispered. _

            Hermione gave the boy a disgusted look. A Slytherin? That's all he had to say for himself? She felt the rage seep through her again. She knew it wasn't really Neville's fault – he didn't know any better. But he sure as hell was pissing her off.

            "Get out of my sight, you pathetic child!" she spat as she pushed him firmly away. He looked like he was about to cry. She had pushed him so far that he was now standing in front of the portrait hole, slowly cowering away from her. 

            "Um, hello?" a deep and lustrous voice reminded them they had company across the threshold. A small whimper escaped from Neville's voice, before he ran off whilst begging both of them not to hurt him. 

            Hermione cursed quietly. In her rage, she had almost forgotten why she was angry. 

            She walked slowly to the portrait hole, standing in the middle so he would clearly understand he was not welcome into the common room.

            "What do you want?" she seethed.

            Draco let a seductive smile creep across his thin ashen face.

"In a word, you."

            Hermione looked at him. Why was he so cocky? She had just found out that he loved her – a secret that could ruin his reputation, and possibly even his father's. 

            "Draco! Go away! I don't want to see you!" she whispered menacingly.

            "Seriously Herm, we need to talk." He said casually, still smiling and leaning his head to the side. 

            Hermione looked around the common room. She had attracted a small audience now, thanks to her earlier display with Neville and now this rare encounter with her nemesis. She gave her fellow students a threatening glare, and they each busied themselves with some activity – no matter how preposterous. 

            "No – and don't call me that." Hermione answered, wary of her audience leaning in closer to hear better.

            Draco caught on to why she was so unwilling. Pride. Well, he thought, there's an easy way to overcome that.

            "If you don't…" he leaned in closer to her so only she could here his whisper. "I'll scream."

            Hermione looked at him with fear in her eyes. The last thing she needed was to attract more attention.

            "You wouldn't dare." She said, her voice trembling.

            Draco raised an eyebrow, and opened his mouth, breathing in deeply. Just before a sound came, Hermione put her hand over his mouth.

            "Don't! Please, look I'll talk to you ok?" she pleaded. They both looked down on where her hand was. She quickly removed it, blushing furiously.  Damn, thought Draco, I was enjoying that.

            Draco smiled and moved forward to enter the room.

            "No." Hermione said quickly, closing the door over. "Out there." 

            Draco shrugged. 

            "As you wish, m'lady." He joked, holding an arm out to escort her down.  She scowled at him and purposefully avoided the outstretched arm.  She jumped down and looked at Draco.

            "Well, what do you want?" she asked, hands on her hips.  

            Draco leaned on the wall, bringing his eyes level to hers.  She squirmed uncomfortably, obviously conscious of his flirty manner.

            "I think we both know what happened today." He said languidly, a small smile playing on the corners of his lips. God that smile was sexy, she thought. She immediately dug her nails into her palms for punishment. It actually really hurt, she'd have to suggest it to Dobby next time she saw the house-elf.  

            "I don't know what you mean." She said, averting his gaze. 

            Draco reached out and gently grabbed her chin, pulling it round so she could face him. At the same time, he laid a hand on her waist. She looked shocked and uncomfortable at this new level of intimacy. 

            "I know it was you, not Goyle, today. It was kind of obvious with that scream. You know I love you, and, being the genius that I am…" he smiled, showing her he was joking and not completely self-obsessed. "I have figured out that you also love me."

            Hermione pulled away from his grasp. 

            "No, oh no, you've got it_ completely wrong, Malfoy."  She said, backing away and moving her hands from side to side. _

            "I don't think I have, Hermione." He stated simply, still looking at her with his grey-blue eyes. 

            "You have Draco, you really ha-"

            "Come on, Hermione." He interrupted her. He sounded kind of desperate, not mean in anyway. But he still had a certain air of smugness around him.  "We're both adults. I think we can work this out sensibly." 

            He started moving towards her again, holding out his hand as an invitation. She backed away into a corner. Was he really that scary? 

            "No! Just leave me alone, ok?" she begged. Draco saw a tear escape from one of her eyes and felt a sudden pang of guilt. He moved over to her and wiped the tear away from her. She shuddered under his touch, and he felt so sorry for making her feel so scared.

            "Look," he said, his hand still on her cheek. "I'm sorry for scaring you. But you're like me Hermione, I know how you feel. Look me in the eye and tell me you don't love me, and I'll walk away." 

            Hermione looked up from the floor and looked him in the eyes. 

"I…" she started. Those eyes. The little flecks of blue were mesmerising, and she found herself wanting to look into those eyes all day. But she knew she couldn't. Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger were not alike. Not at all. She thought of all the times he had hurt her and her friends. Several painful memories came flooding back to her. She stood up straight and once again stared into those eyes, the eyes that had watched so much pain with glee in the past.

"I don't love you Draco Malfoy." She said clearly, then walked past him and into the common room, where several people had gathered around the door. As soon as she entered, they all erupted into spontaneous conversation. She sighed heavily and ran to her dorm.

"What was that about?" murmured Parvati.

"No idea, too bad these walls are soundproof." Replied Lavender. 

***~*~*~*~***

On the other side of the door, Draco Malfoy slid down the cold stone wall.  He had _not been expecting that kind of reply. He had felt so sure. Why wouldn't she admit it? _

"Oh dear." A voice said. "You have got yourself in quite a predicament, dear." 

Draco looked to where the voice had come from and found himself looking into the sympathetic eyes of the portrait that acted as a door.

            "Yeah." He quietly agreed.

            "Don't worry child, she'll come round." She reassured him.

            "You think so?" he asked hopefully. The portrait chuckled happily, as though it had been a long time since she had been involved in a conversation. 

            "My dear, I know so." Draco smiled and walked away, optimistic that his next meeting with Hermione would go better. And there would be a next meeting.  


	7. Neville

**A little pretty long pre-note from me: Chapter 7!! Aw thank you for all the lovely reviews!!  Yotama – glad you approve of my foul mouth! Louise – aw thanks honey – as many reviews as possible thank you!! LostAngel – thank you so much! I reviewed your original by way of thanks, and the Fat Lady knows ****_everything. Think of her as that willow tree out of Pocahontas – I haven't seen that since I was 7 or something so excuse me if I'm entirely wrong. Lovely Foe – I'll try my best!! Finally, Hellbound – I'm not promising anything! I haven't decided what's happening yet and it may not live up to its R rating – but please keep reading just in case! Sorry it took so long to put this up, but it wasn't my fault! On the bright side, FanFiction being down meant I had time to finish up to chapter 8 and I have a fairly good idea where this is going now, but I'm still open for suggestions! I also wrote a short Buffy parody – please check it out! This chapter is kind of a light, funny fill-in but it was important to the story – I'll post the next one up soon though! Hopefully, anyway! P.S one week left of school!!!!!! Means I'll probably be able to get these written quicker and read your stories too!_**

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**Neville**

Ginny Weasley was prone to insomnia, and this night was no different. Often she would come down to the Common Room in the middle of the night and pace the room, look at the sky or, on particularly restless nights, she would rummage through personal property that her classmates had happened to leave behind them. Tonight, however, she came down to hear a small whimpering voice in the darkness. She grabbed a lamp, the closest thing to her that had any density worth mentioning, and walked into the darkness.

"Who's there?" she asked warily. 

"Ginny?" a small voice asked.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, wondering why this person knew her name. She didn't recognise the voice.  

"It's me." The voice pleaded. 

"Well duh! Now show your face before I crack your head open!" she ordered. Instantly a nearby light came on and Ginny raised the lamp above her head, ready to strike.

She froze.

"Neville?" she asked incredulously.

"Hey." He said, blushing and offering a slight smile. 

"Why didn't you say it was you?" she asked as she put down the lamp and flopped down on a nearby couch.

"I did." He said. Ginny looked at him, but decided not to argue at this time in the morning.

"What are you doing down here? It's 3 o'clock in the morning!" 

"Well… you're here too." He stammered defensively.  Poor boy, Ginny thought, nearly 17 years old and he still can't put up a good argument.

"Yeah I'm always down here." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm a bloody insomniac, aren't I? But you're not." 

"Promise not to tell?" he asked.

Ginny looked at him. Do I smell juicy gossip?

"Course I won't tell! Now what is it, Nevvy?" 

            Neville looked upset. 

            "Please don't call me that, it reminds me of my cousins. They call me that and tease me for being useless." 

            "Oh your not useless, Nevvy – Neville." Ginny reassured him, playfully punching him on the arm. He seemed to tilt sideways from the force of the impact. She made a mental note never to do that again – he might break.

            "Hermione thinks I am." He moped, putting his head in his hands.

            Ginny felt uncomfortable. The last thing she needed was practically a grown man crying on her. Apart from everything else, she just might laugh which wouldn't exactly help the situation.

            "Don't be stupid Neville." At this he burst into louder cries.

            "SShhh, you'll wake everyone up!" she handed him a tissue, on which he blew his nose loudly. Ginny flinched. He was like a horn.

            "Look, what makes you think Hermione thinks you're stupid, huh?" she asked.

            "She told me." He stated bluntly.

            "Ah." She said. Fair enough, the boy could be forgiven for misunderstanding if she told him so. It just didn't seem like Hermione though…

            "What exactly did Hermione say to you, Neville?" Ginny inquired.

            Neville sniffed and stifled a few sobs. "That…that I was pathetic, and, um, and stuff like that. She hates me! And she knows that I really like her!" he wailed.

            Then it clicked. Ginny suddenly remembered the conversation she'd had with Hermione earlier.  Someone had feelings for her. Hermione wanted to hate that person. It would explain why she was behaving so out of character. 

            "Neville!" she exclaimed.

            "What?" he looked up, still sniffing away.

            "Hermione doesn't hate you – she loves you!"

            "What?" he asked, confused. 

            "It's true!"

            "How'd you know that?"

            "She told me so!" Ginny was getting a strange feeling of Dèja vu. 

            "Really?" Neville asked, perking up.

            "Yes!" 

            Neville looked exceedingly happy, mixed with a fair amount of shock. They sat in silence for a few moments, only interrupted by the occasional sniffle from Neville. 

            "Never had a girl love me before." He stated happily, looking at her.

            Now why don't I find that hard to believe? She thought. Instead she just smiled and made a kind of reassuring grunt noise.

            "Hmm." He smiled. "Night Ginny, and thanks. Thanks a lot." He smiled gleefully and Ginny waved goodnight to him.  He continued his 'Hmm-ing' all the way up the stairs, and Ginny relaxed back into the couch, smiling.  

            Hermione was going to love her for this.  

***~*~*~*~***

            "Why hello there Hermione." 

            Hermione stopped in the corridor. What? That hadn't been Draco's voice – it was too high. She turned around, expecting to see some sad first year playing a joke on her. Only first years could have such a high voice, the only other person she knew who did was –

"Neville!" Hermione looked at the boy who was a few inches shorter than her.  He looked up at her, an odd smile appearing on his face. Was he trying to be seductive? No, not Neville. Oh please God, no, not Neville!

"Hey good lookin'" he croaked. He twitched his eye. Wait, no, it was a wink.

"What did you just say?" Hermione asked, completely bewildered.

"Look doll," Doll? Did he just call me doll? Someone's been watching too many _Happy Days. "I know you like me ok? So I thought me and you -"_

"You and I." she corrected.

"Ok, _you and I, could get together sometime. What do you say chick?" _

Wait, wizards don't have '_Happy Days'. Ok back to the matter at hand. Hang on did he say…_

"I like you? What?" she asked.

"Hey, don't worry, Ginny told me."

"Oh she did, did she?" Hermione started thinking of painful ways to punish the Weasley daughter.

"Yeah, and I'm ok with it." Hermione looked at him. Ok with it? Who the hell did he think he was?

"You know Neville, Ginny wasn't actually telling the -"

"Hey, hey, hey!" he interrupted her. Hermione was slightly amused at his new attitude. Scared, yes, but slightly amused.

"It's ok! I like you too I guess, and now that I know you like me, we can make a go of it!" 

Hermione froze. Now where had she heard _that before? _

"What the hell are they putting in the water round here?" she sighed dramatically.

"Huh?" Neville looked confused. "So what about it Hermione?" 

By this stage a crowd had started to gather around them.  Hermione blushed. God this was embarrassing.

"Neville," she began slowly. "Do you honestly think I would ever dream of-" 

Hermione stopped short when she saw a familiar face making his way to the front of the crowd. That blonde hair, green robes, pale skin. Draco Malfoy. Then an idea struck her. Always make do with your resources.

"Ever dream," she continued loudly. "Of saying no to you? Of course I'll go out with you!"

Neville reached forward and hugged her as happy cheering broke through the crowd. Hermione responded to the hug, but she knew she felt nothing. She just felt normal, nothing like the way she had felt when Draco touched her…

Hermione scanned the crowd quickly. Speaking of Draco… amongst the cheering, Hermione found him at the front of the crowd, slowly shaking his head in disgust. 


	8. A whole lot of Confusion

**A whole lot of Confusion**

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Draco ran down to the Slytherin dungeons, aware of tears starting to form in his eyes. What the hell? Draco Malfoy did not cry. Malfoy's did not cry, did not feel, did not love.  He was void of all emotion.

Whatever. He'd tried telling himself all this before. Before he'd confronted her, before she'd rejected him, before she'd wanted Neville more. He still couldn't believe it. He loved Hermione, why couldn't she see it? He knew she loved him too. This whole Neville thing was just a ploy. Wasn't it?

Maybe it wasn't.  What if she really did like Neville? Neville Longbottom. He could just see them 10 years on – the Longbottoms. Hermione Longbottom. Draco flinched. The name definitely didn't suit her. How could she like someone like him? Snivelling and childish Neville. Maybe when she looked at her options, Draco or Neville, Neville looked like the best candidate.

Draco stopped at the door to his dorm. He walked in and looked in the small rusty mirror. Was he really that repulsive that Hermione preferred a squib like Neville? 

            Was there any point in even trying with her anymore? If he loved her, he would just let her be happy, right? And if happy was with Neville, so be it. He'd sit on the sidelines and wait, in case she ever decided he wasn't that bad after all. Or else he could get over her. Draco shook his head. The latter didn't seem that likely.

            Draco flopped down on his bed and covered his face in his arms, shutting out the little light that filtered into the dungeon in an attempt to cure his throbbing headache. Since when had his life got so cheesy?

***~*~*~*~***

            Hermione was, quite frankly, bored now. The crowd she and Neville had attracted had slowly filtered away, the last few spectators leaving about 3 minutes ago. Yet still he clung to her like some kind of ape. What had she gotten herself in to? Had she actually said yes to Neville?

            "Um, Neville?" she asked tentatively.  

            "Yeah?" he asked, still grinning, his cheekbones now grinding into her shoulder. 

            "You reckon you could let go now?" she asked slowly.

            "Ok. Whatever you want Hermy." He smiled as he dropped his arms obediently.

            Hermione glared at him.

            "No Hermy." She ordered. He nodded, still grinning. If she was going to pull this off, she would need to act a little more enthusiastic. She looked at his pathetic face. This was going to be hard.

***~*~*~*~***

Harry and Ron waited anxiously in the common room. Ginny had just informed most of the common room of her match-making job. Fred and George had gleefully jumped up to owl Percy, who had always had a 'bit of a thing' for her. They, however, had been shocked at first. Neither of them had expected their best friend to ever consider Neville Longbottom - they were complete opposites.  But they were happy that she had finally found someone, after they had convinced her that Viktor Krum was a male gigolo in his home town. "_It's for her own good." Ron had said at the time. Neither of them ever had liked that guy after all, and they had felt considerably guilty after that. So in a way, Neville dating her kind of gave them relief. But of all people, she had to choose __Neville? _

At that very moment, the happy couple walked through the portrait door. Well, Neville was happy, evident from his abnormally large grin. Hermione, on the other hand, was just managing an attempt at a feeble smile. 

Ron and Harry leapt out of their seats. 

"So, it's true then?" Ron asked, fidgeting with the side of his robe.

Hermione attempted a smile, but it came out as a grimace.

"Yeah." She said. She doesn't look that happy, thought Ron. Perhaps it was just shock or something.

"Neville though?" Harry broke the silence with his incredulously tuned question. 

"Uh huh." Hermione nodded. The boys looked at each other.

"Well, I suppose you could have done worse…" Harry stated quietly, careful not to look at Hermione.

"Could I?" she asked, even quieter than Harry. "_What does that mean?"  He wondered. _

"Yeah, could she?" Ron asked, making no effort to mask the confused tone in his voice. Or the volume. 

Harry glared at him reproachfully. Hermione just looked impassive. Her eyes widened considerably when she caught sight of Ginny at the other end of the room. 

"Excuse me, gentlemen." She muttered.  They didn't seem to notice the terminology, and she left the two seventeen year olds bickering like boys twelve years their junior.

"Hey!" Ginny squealed excitedly as Hermione approached her.

Hermione smiled stiffly, showing Ginny she was not happy at all.

            "Hey. We need to talk." She said.  Ginny's face fell as Hermione grabbed her arm and pulled her upstairs to her dormitory, closing the door behind her.

            "Hermione, wha-" Ginny started, obviously confused.

            "Why is Neville suddenly so besotted with me?" she interrupted, whispering harshly.

            Ginny looked confused. "Because he asked you out, and you said yes. Remember? My God Hermione, are you feeling ok?" Ginny put her hand to Hermione's forehead though it was quickly swiped away.

            "He said that he knew I liked him because _Ginny told him." She put on a higher voice and cocked her head to one side for the last three words.  Ginny smiled sheepishly. _

            "Yeah I'm really sorry about that. But I saw him this morning and he was _so upset because he thought you didn't like him and I just had to put him out of his misery, so I couldn't not tell!" she paused for air. "Can you forgive me?"_

            Hermione was really confused now. "Tell? Ginny, you're not making any sense. What was there to tell?" 

            Ginny sighed. "What you told me yesterday, you know, about feelings for people and all that stuff." Ginny shook her head as she laughed, or rather chuckled, inwardly. "I know you said it was made up, but nothing much gets past me! When Neville started talking to me, it clicked!" 

            "What clicked?" Hermione asked, wondering if sometime between yesterday and this present moment she'd had a blackout.

"You know! The guy you were talking about, the one who had feelings for you and you thought you had feelings for too, was_ Neville."_

            "_Neville?" she asked._

            Ginny laughed. "Yes, _Neville! Albeit, I was shocked at first, but if he's the one you like, I still stick by what I said yesterday – go for it!" _

            At that point, Hermione noticed they had company in the room. She looked round to see Harry and Ron standing in the doorway.

            "Hey." Harry said awkwardly, embarrassed at being caught eavesdropping. He looked around the girls' bedroom curiously from where he stood, having never been in it before. He blushed for some reason only Harry will ever know. 

            Ron stepped forward and put an arm round Hermione. "We're happy for you Hermione, even if it is Neville. And I don't know what you were on about to Ginny yesterday – we've got nothing against Neville, he can just be annoying sometimes, but it's not as if we _'really hate him' as you put it." _

            Hermione looked up from the floorboard she had been staring at in concentration. The penny had finally dropped, as her mother would say.  When she had been talking to Ginny about Draco, Ginny had thought she meant Neville. Oh God.

            She walked backwards slowly shaking her head and sat down on her bed, all the while muttering "No no, oh no, no, no, no!" 

            "Do you think she's ok? I mean, _mentally?" Ginny whispered to her brother. Ron just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head simultaneously in response. _

            "Ginny how could you be so stupid?" she whispered to her friend. Ginny looked at her oddly.

            "Wha-what do you mean? I thought you'd be happy." Ginny actually looked hurt. The boys just looked confused. There was a hell of a lot of that going around today. 

            "Happy? _Happy?" Hermione laughed. "Why would I be happy? It's Neville for crying out loud!" _

            "I'm not sure I'm following you." Ron said slowly, looking her in the eyes. 

            "Neville wasn't who I was talking about yesterday Ginny!" she said, her head turning to face the girl. Ginny looked baffled.

"Then," Harry sat down on the bed beside his best friend. "Who _were you talking about?" _

            Hermione suddenly realised how stupid she was being. She couldn't tell them about Draco. Not that there was anything to tell. Not that she actually knew herself. God, maybe she was going mad. 

            "No one." She said quickly. 

            "Well, it must have been _someone." Ron pointed out, sitting on the other side of her and holding her hand. Hermione wracked her brain for a plausible excuse.   _

            "Oh I see what's going on here!" Harry said, his eyes twinkling.

            "You do?" she asked hopefully, although afraid he might have thought of Draco…not that there was any her and Draco.

            "You're embarrassed because you weren't planning on telling Neville!" he finished. Hermione's face lit up.

            "Yeah, that's good! I mean, right!" 

            There came a loud "Ooh!" from her friends and they laughed. Hermione smiled feebly, nodding to a "Gotcha!" from Ginny. 

            "Well, we'll leave you to come to terms. I suppose Neville is still downstairs ranting about his wonderful girlfriend anyway!" 

            The trio left the room and headed downstairs, leaving Hermione in the room in isolation. She put her head in her hands. It was bad enough before, but now she had gotten other people involved – Ron, Ginny, Harry and Neville. It wasn't as if she loved Draco, so why was everything so messed up?

**A little note from me: ok I guess nothing really happened in this chapter…ah well, it's a little fill in I guess! Another one. And if I'm not mistaken, chapters 4 – 8 are all happening in the space of 24 hours. Hmm, strange. Or maybe not. Who knows? Ok, I don't know how long this is going to be and I've no idea how it will end so please feel free to give me any ideas, although I can't promise I'll use them all! Louise – do you think I should work Sparky the Goldfish in somehow?! That little guy/girl (it's undecided) rocks!! Yeah ok… By the way, I own nothing, which you probably figured out already because you're all such a smart wee bunch!! Thanks to ****both my reviewers *_gives stern look to everyone who didn't review*. This chapter was already written though so you're questions and recommendations will be mentioned in chapter 9 – sorry! _**

Please r/r! 

mystical xx


	9. The end of a Beautiful Relationship

**The end of a beautiful relationship**

Hermione awoke the next morning lying on her bed, fully clothed in the robes she had been wearing the previous evening. She tried to get up, hearing every joint in her body crack. She moved her neck. _Ouch. Hermione realised she had been lying in quite an awkward position, and for some reason hadn't put the quilt over herself._

            She walked over to the mirror and sighed at her dishevelled hair. Why hadn't she got changed last night? And why hadn't she got into bed properly?

            "Oh you're up!" a voice called from the doorway. Hermione spun round to see who had spoken. 

            "Oh, hey Lavender." She said sleepily.

            "Your boyfriend's been up hours, ranting and raving about you!" she laughed at the bemused face Hermione displayed and walked on. 

            Hermione collapsed on her bed. Of course - Neville. She vaguely remembered talking to Harry, Ron and Ginny last night. Oh God what had she done? She'd have to break it off. Whether or not she liked Draco at all was for her to decide in due course. It wasn't fair to involve Neville in all of this. She wasn't even sure why she had. Probably one of her rare but frightening spontaneous plans. Pity she couldn't remember what exactly the plan was…

***~*~*~*~***

            "So what you're saying," Neville's small voice asked. "Is that you don't really want to go out with me anymore." 

            "Yeah, in a nut shell." Hermione answered sympathetically. Obviously she hadn't told him the real reason why she'd gone out with him – she'd just blamed it on hormones. Those little buggers came in handy sometimes.

            "You sure?"  He asked hopefully.

            "Positive."

            "Well you wanted to go out with me at the time."

            "Yeah at the time. But like I said, it was a spontaneous thing."

            "No it wasn't."

            "Yes it was."

"No it wasn't." he huffed, crossing his arms and twisting his into a strange kind of frown. Hermione could see where this was going.

            "Yes it was." She said through clenched teeth. Arrogant bastard, who'd he think he was? Where the hell was a giant hippo to squash him when you needed one? 

            "No it was-"

            "Yes it bloody well was!" she screamed, standing up in a fury.

            To her surprise, Neville didn't so much as hint at a slight whimper. Instead he composed himself and stood to face her.

            "Well Ms. Granger." He said calmly. "I suppose this is the end of our beautiful relationship." Hermione rolled her eyes. That boy was such a drama queen.

            "Good day to you Hermione." With that he turned and walked out of the room. 

            "Yeah see you." She sighed, turning away.

            "Em, Hermione?" she heard the same voice except more quietly this time.

            "Yes Neville?" she drawled unenthusiastically.

            "I forgot my books." He muttered quietly. 

            Hermione sighed (yet again) and nodded permission to enter her room again. 

            "Ok, I'm going now." He said.

            "Ok." 

            "Good day to you Ms. Grange-"

            "Yeah, yeah you said it before." 

            "Right."

            Hermione followed him to the door and closed it behind him, sliding down it. Well _that went well._

***~*~*~*~***

          "Aw Poor Neville." Draco's ear perked up when he heard the Gryffindor boy's name mentioned. He glanced at the speaker. He was one of the Gryffindors in his year – Dean, he thought. 

            "Imagine getting dumped just one day in to his relationship. That poor guy." 

            "Yeah, but I guess Hermione had her reasons." Draco recognised the Irish voice as Seamus's.  He spun round excitedly.

            "Hermione dumped Neville?" he asked, smiling.

            "Hey what gave you the right to eavesdrop?" Dean yelled.

            "Just answer me!" 

            "Yeah she did, not that it's any of your concern!" 

            Draco smiled. Now why had she done that? Apart from it being Neville Longbottom, there was probably another reason too. And hopefully, that other reason went by the name of Draco Malfoy. 

***~*~*~*~***

            "You broke up?" two voices exclaimed as Hermione came down the stairs to the common room. She recognised the voices as Harry and Ron.

            "Uh, yeah. How did you two find out so soon?" she asked, startled.

            "Everyone's talking about it." Ron shrugged.

            "Great." She murmured. "Is he ok?" 

            "Who?" Harry asked, looking out the window at the Ravenclaw Quidditch practice. 

            "Neville." She replied, confused.

            "Oh yeah, he's fine." He said nonchalantly. 

            "Ron, be honest, is he ok?" she asked her friend for reassurance.

            Silence.

            "Ron?" she turned around to see him flirting outrageously with one of Ginny's friends.

            "RON!" she yelled.

            "What?" he asked, embarrassed. The girl smiled and walked away.

            "How would you like it if Harry flirted with Ginny like that?" she asked, hands on hips.

            "Harry? Flirting with my sister?" he bent closer. "_Like that?" _

            "Yeah. You wouldn't like it much would you?" she said, crossing her arms. She was re-thinking starting up a conversation about her and Neville's relationship.

Ron's face turned a deep purple. 

            "Potter! Outside - now!" he yelled.

            Harry turned round, baffled.

            "Wha-what I do?" he asked as Ron grabbed him by the collar and led him outside.

            "Oh for God's sake." She sighed as she flopped down on a sofa. She looked around from where she was sitting for a book to read. She saw an armchair in front of her, and the person in it obviously didn't want to be seen. However, the tell-tale elbow sticking out kind of gave it away.

            "Neville?" she asked tentatively.  The elbow disappeared. 

            "Neville, I know it's you." She said. The chair was pushed round to face her. 

            "How'd you know it was me?" 

            "Call it a hunch." 

            "Oh." They were silent for a few minutes, avoiding each others eyes.

            "Neville?" 

            "Yeah?" his head shot up quickly. Hermione kicked herself for being so mean earlier. Well, not literally, because that would have looked just a bit stupid, but you know what I mean. 

            "Are you ok?" she asked, putting a hand on his arm.

            "Yeah, I'm fine." Hermione nodded and they were silent for a while. 

            "To tell you the truth…" he started. 

            "Yeah?" she asked, wanting to avoid another awkward silence.

            "I don't really want a girlfriend. It's a bit, _strange."_

            "Well, that's great."

            "Really? You don't mind?" 

            "Mind? Hell no!" Hermione thought about her choice of words. "I mean, you know, I'll get over it." 

            Relief swept over Neville's face. 

            "Phew. I was worried you'd be upset." He smiled. She returned the smile, in fear of what she might say.

            "By the way," he asked. "Do you mind if we say that I dumped you?"

            Hermione didn't want to hurt the poor guy, but that was going a bit too far.

            "How about we say we came to a mutual agreement?"

            "Fair enough. But, um, could you write that down for me?" 

            "Sure." She smiled and reached for some parchment. 

            "Oh, and would you mind putting down the Portrait password while you're at it?" 

**A little note from me:  Ugh – I hated that ending! Too cheesy! Aw and no cliff-hanger! Ah well, I'll try for one next time! This was kind of a light hearted one I guess! Gretchen - was I too mean? I changed this story around so that you'd get what you wanted! But I didn't really want to hurt him either, he's cool :-) Supergal88 - I'll try to work in you're request soon! Not too much Draco in this chapter! Apologies to all the Draco/Tom fans – don't worry, he's coming back! LostAngel – that was the only credible way I could work it in! I liked your idea a lot though, please keep them coming! Louise – funny you should mention that…I think it's in chapter 12 you get your wish, but I might change it I don't know yet! Basically, thank you all reviewers and please keep up your great work! If anyone gets a chance, please check out my other fics – they're only one chapter long! And my original but that's about 8 chapters long so I understand if you don't have time. Byeeee! **

Mystical xx 


	10. Feelings

**Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing a few of JK's characters for my wee fable. Actually that doesn't disclaim a lot because JK are my initials too but no-one ever thinks of that…I'm so unloved...*sob sob*…**

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**A little pre-note from me: Wow! 49 reviews and counting! I've changed my mind – I'm feeling loved again! I had a very nice holiday thank you to everyone who asked (in life or reviews), and my little book of story ideas is considerably more packed now – the plot-mice were at work! This is the longest chapter I've ever written – 9 ¼ A4 pages excluding disclaimer and pre-note! That's even longer than any of my 1 chapter stories! Cool :) or not, whatever! Sorry for it being so long – depending on who you are it can be a good thing or not, personally I prefer longer chapters but you know, quality not quantity and all that. But this is the one I've been working up to since I started this story, so I'm kind of glad I've finally got it down on paper (theoretically speaking). I've no idea how long this will be but we've got a while to go yet, my friends! (What was that?!) And, I've already got a sequel planned! God, I really need to get a better life…**

This chapter has so many mixed emotions and genres even I'm confused. I would say I'm 'emotionally drained' but that might be taking things too far – but I'm tired and kind of sad after writing it so it'll have to do! I know it gets cheesy and maybe even (heaven forbids!) _fluffy at times and kind of weird, but please keep reading and tell me what you think! I promise I'll try to ease off on the fluffiness! Anyways, thanks to all my reviewers and please keep doing them! It cheers me up! _

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**Feelings**

Draco slicked back his freshly gelled hair again. His hands were sweating, he was so nervous. The last time he had stood here, outside the Gryffindor common room, Hermione had mercilessly rejected him. Hopefully, she wouldn't this time. _God, maybe I should just go back he thought. _

            He considered doing this briefly, but just as he decided to leave the portrait door swung open. A figure stumbled out, their face hidden behind a large pile of books.  _This is it, I guess. _

            "I was wondering when you'd come out." He started, trying to sound calm and collected. He didn't feel that way though - inside his stomach was doing back flips. 

            The figure fumbled with the large pile of books. Draco saw his chance and stepped forward.

            "Here, let me help you with those." He said. 

            "Piss off." She murmured, the sound muffled by the books. Yep, definitely Hermione. 

            "Oh come on, I'm offering to help you here." He paused. "You know that I like you, I think I've made that clear." 

            The figure clicked her tongue, and probably would have walked off if she still wasn't struggling with the books.

            "Can we go somewhere to talk?" he asked, trying his best to sound seductive. It probably hadn't worked, but it was worth a try. At that moment he took the books off her, but she immediately grabbed them back, tucking them under her arm.

            "As if I'd go anywhere with you, _Malfoy!" Draco gasped as her face was finally made visible. _

It wasn't Hermione at all. 

            "Piss off and go play with one of your Slytherin bitches. Just don't mess with Parvati Patil again, or you'll be sorry!" 

            She cast him a scathing look as she walked off, murmuring under her breath about him. Draco honestly thought he couldn't breathe. How did that just happen? He should have realised. And it would have been Parvati – the girl renowned for being chief gossiper of Hogwarts. If he'd have just slipped Hermione's name in…oh God, it wouldn't bare thinking about. 

Not that he was ashamed of Hermione, hell no.  Well, not exactly ashamed, but it would certainly have a dent in his reputation. For a start, she had knocked him back. Plus she was a Gryffindor, a muggle-born, a know-it-all, Harry's friend… 

Draco's thoughts were fortunately interrupted that moment when the portrait door swung open again. He carefully checked who it was before professing his undying love to them. And he was glad he did, as Dennis Creevy walked out, looking at him disdainfully. Draco looked at the mini-Colin's retreating back until it was out of sight. Where did that kid get off looking at a _Malfoy like that? _

"You." Said a shocked voice from behind him. Draco turned around promptly, slightly stumbling over himself. He heard the portrait door swing shut as he found himself staring into the eyes of one Hermione Granger. 

            "I love you." He heard a voice say. He prayed to God it had been her, but from the contemptuous look she was giving him, he presumed it had been him. His fingers went to his lips automatically, though he held eye contact with her steadily. Damn it, what the hell happened to calm and collected?

            "So you keep telling me." She said, crossing her arms whilst rolling her eyes. 

            "It's true." He breathed. "I think."

            She glared at him. 

            "You think? What the hell? You either are or you're not – no maybe about it." She said through clenched teeth. She breathed heavily.__

            "If you don't know now, you obviously aren't." 

            "But I am." He whispered. She gave him another reproachful look.

            "You can't be. It doesn't work that way." She looked away. 

            "Well, what way does it work then, smartass?" 

She didn't answer.

"If I don't know, how come I'm still here even though you look like you could kill me?" _Hey, good comeback, Malfoy he congratulated himself. _

            She looked at him, searching his eyes. She shook her head.

            "You can't be." She whispered decidedly. 

"Why not?" he said, matching her tone.

            "Because…because you can't. End of story. I don't have to answer to you." She paused before evidently deciding she would answer to him.

"You're a Malfoy and I'm a Granger – the type you call _Mudblood." Draco flinched at the memory of the first time he'd called her the offensive term. She said the word like dirt, which it was. _

She wasn't a Mudblood. 

_Technically, she is said the younger, inner voice. __Oh great, I was wondering when you were going to make a re-appearance he thought. But no, a Mudblood was dirt, useless, filth. She was none of those._

"I'm sorry." He breathed. He knew that little word didn't begin to cover his behaviour, but what else could he do? 

            Hermione shook her head and began to walk away. 

            "No!" he called after her, grabbing her and blocking her way.

            "Let me go!" she muttered, looking into his eyes again.

            "You said that I either loved you or I didn't. Now I know. I do. I know I do." She shook her head slowly. "Now it's your turn."

            She stared at him in silence. 

            "What?" 

            "Do you love me?" he asked, swallowing as he waited for her answer.

            "I told you before." 

            "I didn't believe you." She looked away.

            "No." 

            "Did you dump Neville?" he asked, trying a different approach. She looked back at him.

            "What has that got to -" 

            "Just answer me. Did you dump Neville?" 

            "Yes." 

            "Why?" 

            "It's none of your -"

            "Why did you dump him, Hermione?" 

            "I don't know."

            "Yes you do." She was silent.

            "_I don't." A small whisper escaped her lips._

            "Do you have feelings for me?" she stayed silent, looking in his eyes.

            "Is that why you finished with Neville?"

            "It was a mutual agreement." Another whisper.

            "Bullshit. Is that why you finished with Neville?" His voice was firm and demanding. She was quiet for a few more seconds, suddenly avoiding his gaze.

            "Maybe."

            "Do you have feelings for me?" he tried again, seeing he was finally getting somewhere. He just prayed that that somewhere was where he wanted to go, and not on the rejection pile. Again.

            "I don't know." she shrugged, answering him quietly. 

            "You either do or you don't." he repeated her earlier words. 

            She put her head down and looked at the floor. A small whisper in a nervous voice escaped from her slumped form.

            "No." 

            Draco firmly took hold of her chin and pulled her to face him. 

            "I still don't believe you. Hermione Granger, do you have feelings for me?"

***~*~*~*~***

Hermione breathed in sharply as Draco Malfoy took hold of her chin to pull her round to face him.

"I still don't believe you." He said in a low voice. "Hermione Granger, do you have feelings for me?" 

Hermione looked at him. Why lie? It hadn't helped her up to now. Granted, she hadn't known her true feelings up until a few seconds beforehand. But could Draco really change? It was so clichéd. How could she have any feelings for the boy whom for so long was the subject of her hatred? Did she actually have feelings or was she just 'caught up in the moment', so to speak? How the hell could she recognise 'feelings'? But then again, as they had both said, she either did or she didn't…

"Yes." 

She felt a small tear run down her face, something that she wasn't prone to feeling. She watched as Draco's features melted into a smile, and a tear trickled too down his cheek – something very rare.  He brought his finger to her cheek and brushed the tear away. She looked into his eyes. His were full of happiness, but she … she didn't know. What happened now? Where did they go from here?

***~*~*~*~***

_            She said yes. The same three words kept running through Draco Malfoy's mind. __She said yes. She said yes. She said yes. He smiled happily, and brushed a tear from her delicate and quivering face. He felt a lone tear stream down his own face, but chose to ignore it.  What reason did he have to cry? After all, Hermione Granger had admitted she had feelings for him. __She said yes. She said yes._

            He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and smiled at her.  He couldn't trust himself to talk and ruin the moment, so he chose to whisper quietly, if only to himself.

            "I hoped so."  He pulled her into a tight embrace, and to his surprise, she hugged him back.  They stayed like that for several seconds, happy in the knowledge that he finally had her. He pulled away at last and looked into her eyes. It seemed like the most natural thing to do, yet bizarre at the same time. Hardly believing what he was doing, Draco leant forward and placed his lips on hers.

***~*~*~*~***

Hermione was slightly shocked at Draco's sudden action. To be honest, she had been so overwhelmed at what they had just said that she hadn't been expecting a kiss. However, she didn't pull back. She felt safe with Draco, as cheesy as it sounded. It felt right. _But it's not. A small voice inside her said. __It's not right, and you know it. She tried to push the voice aside. It was right, it had to be. How could it not be? She was with Draco, and was in no doubt of her feelings anymore. It felt right, so it had to be right. __But it's not. You're with Malfoy. You're supposed to hate Malfoy. What would Ron and Harry say? Malfoy would never love you. _

Hermione pushed him away. What if the voice was right? Why **would Malfoy love her? She heard his voice over the past years taunting her. _Mudblood. Stupid, ugly mudblood. _**

"Hermione?" Draco's voice asked. It was full of concern. But for all Hermione knew, it was fake concern. Everything was fake.

"You don't love me!" she gasped. 

"What? Hermione, what are you on about? Of course I do, and you said you loved me too! What's wrong?" he reached forward to hold her hand, but she pulled it away and moved away from him.

"No! Don't touch me! Even if you did love me, it's still wrong!"

Draco looked confused. "What? Why? Why is it wrong? Hermione, help me here!" 

 "We can't." she pleaded, back to whispering. Tears started to flow freely from her face. "Why can't you see that? We just can't."  

"But…I love you." Draco didn't know what else to say.

"And I love you too." She said. Draco made a step forward, but she moved farther away from him again. "But we can't. We're completely different. We can't." 

"Why can't we?" he pleaded. Hermione was thinking exactly the same thing. Why couldn't they? What was stopping them? _Everything she thought. She shook her head in response to Draco._

"I won't believe you." He said decidedly. He had her for five minutes, there was no way in hell was she going to slip through his fingers this time. 

"I don't care." She turned and walked away. 

"No!" he yelled and grabbed her firmly.

"Let me go!" she screamed, pushing him away. They heard running feet coming there way.

"Just stay away from me, Malfoy." She said coldly.

Draco dropped her arm in shock of her sudden antagonistic attitude. She turned briskly and walked through the portrait hole, leaving Draco alone and confused.

***~*~*~*~***

"What happened?" yelled Ron as they rounded the corner. 

"We heard scream-" he and Harry skidded to a halt at the sight that greeted them.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked incredulously. 

"What the fuck are you doing here?" 

"Nice to see you too, Potter." Draco drawled. He acknowledged Ron with a sneer. Not in the mood to get into any arguments, he got up and walked away. 

"Yeah that's right…" Harry yelled after him.

"Walk away, why don't you!"

Draco didn't stop, he just kept walking. 

"Spineless git." Remarked Ron. 

"Whatever." He murmured, choking back tears.

Ron turned to face Harry.

"What the hell was that about?" he muttered.

"No idea." They rhymed off the password to a crying Fat Lady, although they never thought to ask why she was crying. 

"She's not here." Harry confirmed as they scanned the common room.

            "Damn it, I can't do that Potions essay without her!" Ron hissed.

            "Hey Dean!" he yelled over to a tall boy playing exploding snap in the far corner. "Have you seen Hermione?"

             "Yeah." Replied a disgruntled Dean. His snap cards had just exploded in his hands. "I think she just went upstairs."

"Thanks mate." Ron shouted over to his slightly charred friend. He and Harry bounded up the stairs to Hermione's dorm, Potion essays in hand. 

Harry knocked briefly on the oak door then charged into the room, not waiting for Hermione's reply.

            "Hermione, we can't fig-" both boys stopped their questioning at the sight of their distraught friend strewn over her bed.

***~*~*~*~***

_  _

            Hermione heard a voice say something. She didn't understand what it was saying though, nothing was clear. She raised her head, unruly hair flowing over her tear-soaked face. Her eyes were blurry and her head and throat ached from her crying.

            "Hermione! Are you ok?" a low and concerned voice asked, edging closer. She vaguely recognised the speaker to be Ron as he edged closer to her. She sat up and shuffled back on the bed to get away from him, hugging her knees. She didn't know why, she just couldn't be around him at the minute. She didn't want anyone near her. Not even…definitely not Draco.

            Ron seemed shocked at her reluctance and turned around and said something. It was then she noticed he wasn't alone. Another, slightly smaller boy, precariously approached her shaking form.

            "Herm-," he started, obviously not sure what to say. "Hermione," he sat down at the foot of the bed and Ron followed, regardless of her opposition. 

            "Hermione, what happened?"  He blurted out, reaching for her hand. She pulled it away. Draco had tried to do that too…

            The memory of Draco brought more tears to her eyes. Ron leapt to his feet, alarmed. Before he could say anything, Hermione let slip one, fatal word.

            "_Malfoy."_

 She looked up in time to see the boys' immediate reactions. Harry looked at her in shock, Ron clenched his fists.

            "What about Malfoy?" he asked through clenched teeth.

_            Oh God, what did I do? Hermione thought. She started crying heavily again, hiding her face in her arms. She hadn't cried in several years – what the hell was happening?_

            "Ron…" she heard Harry say quietly. "Ron, the screaming…the corridor…the fat lady…_Malfoy." She looked up at Harry. What did he mean? How did any of what he'd said make sense? _

            She stole a glance at Ron. It obviously made sense to him. He was livid. His face turned a deep purple…no wonder he didn't like maroon.

            Both boys turned to face her. Harry chewed his lip and looked extremely pale, in deep contrast to Ron.

            "Hermione, you know you can trust us, don't you?" Ron said, in an eerily calm voice. Hermione nodded slowly. "I'm going to ask you a question, and you have to be very honest." 

            Hermione looked from Ron to Harry. What kind of question?

            "Did…did Malfoy hurt you?" he carried on, still clenching and unclenching his fists. Hermione looked at him in confusion. Hurt her?

            "What I mean is…" Harry looked away as Ron continued. 

            "Hermione, did Draco…touch you?" 

            Hermione's head snapped up to look at her friends. How had they gotten onto this branch of conversation? 

            "You mean…" she whispered. Ron looked away, breathing heavily and wiping his eyes. He looked at Harry and nodded at him. Harry nodded back and looked at his best friend.

            "Yes, Hermione. We mean…did he…rape you?" 

            Hermione didn't comprehend what she was doing. She needed out of this mess. She didn't understand. Harry and Ron were offering her an easy way out…but she couldn't do it.

She looked up into the worried eyes of her friends. 

And nodded.


	11. With a little help from my Friends

**With a little help from my Friends**

Ron slid down the wall until he was in a crouching position, his head hanging down into his hands. He seemed to be crying softly while he shook his head. In a matter of seconds his face too had gone frighteningly pale. Hermione glanced over to Harry. He was looking at her, his mouth covered by his hand but she could see in his eyes the look of shock, sadness and sickness. She looked down at her own hands. Why had she nodded?

            "Oh, 'Mione." She realised Ron had crossed to the bed and was now hugging her tightly, seemingly not wanting to let go. Harry put a supportive hand on her shoulder and squeezed, but did not say anything. He now seemed to be avoiding her gaze, looking anywhere but at her. He still looked pale, though nothing compared to the ghostly appearance Ron had acquired. 

            "Are you ok?" Ron asked, searching her eyes. "Do you want to go see Madam Pomfrey?" 

            "NO!" Hermione exclaimed. Both boys looked shocked at her sudden outburst. She felt hot tears begin to roll down her already drenched face. "No, I can't tell anyone. I'll be fine."

            "But – but what about Dumbledore?" Ron asked, bewildered. 

"No! Definitely not Dumbledore! You two have got to promise me that you won't tell Dumbledore or McGonagall or any of the other teachers, understand? If you do, I'll deny it. I'm not telling any teachers."

            Harry finally turned around, amazed at his friend's out-of-character burst. This was Hermione – she lived her life by the tell-a-teacher rule.  Sure, she wasn't exactly a goody two shoes contrary to popular belief – sometimes she could be the most cunning out of the lot of them – but in a situation like this?

            "But, Hermione, why?" he asked.

            "You don't have to protect him, you know. He's the one in the wrong." Ron said calmly, his arm still held protectively around her. "You have no reason to be ashamed."

            _That's what you think Hermione thought glumly. _

            "Look, I have my reasons. Just please, promise me you won't tell anyone." She pleaded, grasping a hand from each of her friends.

            Ron looked at Harry doubtfully. "Hermione, I can't prom-"

            "Promise me!" she cried. 

            Harry and Ron exchanged one more dubious glance, before nodding. 

            "If it's what you really want." Ron whispered loud enough for both of them to hear. 

            "It is." She said even quieter, before laying her head on Ron's shoulder. Both boys nodded, squeezing her hand. 

            "Hermione…" Harry started.

            "What?" she asked quietly.

            "Maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing."

            "No." she replied, much more calmly than before.

            "But-" 

            "Harry, I can't."

            "But what if -"

            "Harry! I told you be-"

            "Hermione." Ron interrupted their bickering and looked thoughtfully at Harry. "I think Harry might have a point."

            "Ron, please! I can't! Don't make me!" she replied, pulling away from him and looking in his eyes, her voice panic stricken.

            "I'm not going to make you do anything! But if Draco raped you, then there's a chance you could be…" he left the sentence hanging. 

            "What do you mean?" she asked. She looked at the worried faces on the boys. "Oh no, no don't worry, I'm not."

            "How do you know though?" Ron asked. He seemed to be doing Harry's share of talking too. Not that Hermione minded; Ron seemed to be handling 'the situation' much better than Harry. Which made her feel a hundred times worse.

            "I'm not. Don't make me go in to it now, but there's no way I am."

            "But-" He began again.

            "Ron! Harry! I'm not pregnant!" she exclaimed. 

            Both boys looked at her and hesitantly nodded. They obviously both thought she should get a check up or something but saw it would do no good to pursue the matter now.

            "And what about other stuff?" Ron asked quietly.

            "What other stuff?" Harry asked, seemingly convinced that there wasn't a lot to discuss here.

            "Illnesses and stuff. Diseases." He answered, although he looked straight at her while he said it. 

            "No." she said, shaking her head.

            "How do you know? A lot of these you can't tell 'till after." He said. Hermione thought hard. How had she gotten into this mess in the first place?

            "A spell." She choked out. "Yeah, I recognised this spell he did. It stops stuff like that." She nodded, her voice sounding nervous. Ron nodded too, accepting this answer. After all, if there was a spell for it, Hermione knew it. 

            "How are you though? I mean, physically?" he asked, scanning her arms and face for bruises. She suddenly became very conscious of her lack of bruising. Surely there would have been some sign of a struggle. She'd have to give herself some later. 

            "I'm ok, kind of. My arms hurt a little from where he held me…" she trailed off and looked at the bed quilt. She heard Harry take in a sharp breath and felt Ron's arm tighten around her. She felt sick – here she was, imagining her own rape while her two friends were overcome with grief for her. 

            "And mentally? Emotionally?" Ron whispered so only she could hear. 

            "I'll get over it, I guess. You know…" they fell silent as Hermione fidgeted with the quilt, everyone's eyes upon it as though it were the most interesting thing. 

            After about five minutes, Ron realised Hermione had cried herself to sleep in his arms. He got up gently so as not to wake her, and motioned to Harry to pull the curtains while he brought the quilt over her. Harry nodded towards the door and Ron nodded in response. As he was about to leave, he took one last look at her. He smiled grimly. The idea of that filth Malfoy even touching his best friend made him feel sick. He brought a finger to her dampened face and gently pushed one of many tears away. 

            She stirred slightly, but to Ron's relief did not waken. She just put her hand to her face where he had touched her and muttered one word before rolling over.

            _"Draco."_

            Ron clenched his teeth. He would get that bastard back for this. 

***~*~*~*~***

            "What are we doing?" Harry asked frantically as Ron searched through their dorm.

            "We're getting our own back, Harry." He replied, murmuring. 

            "What do you mean?" Harry was confused.

            "Did you fail to notice what that scum did to our best friend, or were you not interested in her fucking rape?" Ron spat. Harry was taken aback. Ron rarely got this angry with Harry. He wished he would stand up and just yell out right, instead of accusing him in such an off-handed manner. 

            "Don't be an asshole Ron, of course I noticed." He said through clenched teeth. "But I don't see what we can do now."

            "I told you, we're getting revenge."

            "But how? She won't let us tell Dumbledore."

            Ron finally stood upright and turned his attention to Harry. He was still angry, but not at Harry.

            "I know. I wish she would let us – they'd have to expel him; at least then he'd get out of our faces. But she's too embarrassed or something…"

            "Why is she embarrassed though?" Harry flopped down on the bed and rubbed his eyes.

            "Well wouldn't you be? If the whole school knew that dirt had touched her…" Harry noticed Ron clench his fists again and went back to searching.

            "What are you looking for?" Harry asked, looking over at Ron who was now throwing things out of cupboards and from under beds.

            "This!" he heard Ron cry triumphantly from underneath Harry's bed.

            He came out, his robe covered in dust, holding up a scrappy piece of parchment.

            "The map?" Harry frowned at Ron. _How the hell can a map help now?_

            "Yes, the Marauders Map."

            "Ok…why?"

            "How many times, Harry? _Revenge." He sighed._

            "I _know that, we've established we're getting revenge. But how the hell is a map going to help us?"_

            "What does this particular map tell us Harry?" Ron said slowly.

            "Where people are, but-"

            "Exactly." Ron smiled slowly. "_Where people are." _

            Harry looked quizzically at Ron. Why did they need to know where people are?

            "Ron, slow down. What the hell are you on about?" 

            "I've told you."

            "Yeah ok, we're getting revenge. But how does the map come in to it?"

            "Well if we can't tell Dumbledore, we'll get revenge on Malfoy the old fashioned way."

            Harry looked at Ron. The old fashioned way?

            "Oh." He said, finally realising. "You're going to pummel him then?"

            "No, my friend; _we're going to pummel him." Ron answered decidedly._

            "Ron, I know you want to kill him, but maybe we should just see if it'll blow over…"

            "Blow over?" Ron yelled angrily. He had grabbed Harry by the collar and had him pinned against the cold wall, his feet just hovering above the ground. "It won't blow over, Harry! I'm not letting him get away with this! I don't give a shit about rules or whatever, he hurt Hermione and he's going to learn never to do it again! Now if you care more about your freaking pretty face than Hermione, then fine, I'll do it on my own."

            He pushed Harry into the wall before letting him slide to the floor. Harry looked up at Ron, shock in his eyes. Ron was breathing heavily as he looked down at his friend. He stretched out his hand and pulled Harry up in a silent gesture of apology. Harry saw the determined look in Ron's eyes and rubbed his neck.

            "I'm in." he said hoarsely.

            "Glad to hear it." Ron replied quietly and turned towards a small table where he smoothed out the map. Harry came and stood beside him, both now intent on seeking vengeance for Hermione. They scanned the crinkled parchment for a lone black dot labelled 'Draco Malfoy'.

            Ron placed his finger on the small dot.

            "Astronomy Tower. Now."

**A little note from me:**** ooh cliff-hanger! C'mon, you've gotta love 'em! Well I like them anyway…thank you to my reviewers (all 3 of them, surprising as I was asked to e-mail lots of people and only got one reply!) ****LostAngel: lol, I would but then one of my main characters would be, well, dead. Sorry! Thank you for reviewing love! Probably one of if not _the most loyal reviewer I have! _****Yotama: Why thank you kindly ma'am! See you soon! ****DragonsMistress21208: Voila! Everyone else, please review and constructive criticism is very much welcomed! Feel free to suggest endings too because I've only got a rough idea. And if anyone else wants me to e-mail them when I post a chapter just leave your address and I will. Bye bye! xx**** **

**DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter stuff all belongs to the great JKR, with the exception of Oliver Wood. Well, I guess she does own him seeing as he's fictional and all but….(sighs)…oh and "With a little help from my friends" is Joe Cockers work. I just thought the title kind of, um, fitted…in an ironic kind of way…I'll shut up now. Disclaimers only need to be two words long – "not mine". I'll use that in future, maybe. Wait, didn't I say I was gonna shut up now? ****_Crowd shouts__: yes!_**


	12. Astronomy Tower

_This chapter is dedicated to Louise - you'll know why love!_

****

**Astronomy********Tower******

"Hello bastard." Draco heard a cold voice from behind him. He turned round, startled, to find the surly blue eyes of Ron Weasley staring angrily into his own.

            "What do you want Weasel?" he spat, trying to control his emotions. After his encounter with Hermione earlier, he had come up to the empty Astronomy tower to think. People rarely came up there during daylight. 

            "You fucking bastard!" Ron yelled, his face now red. He swung a fist at Draco, who was so shocked that he didn't have time to move out of the way. He felt Ron's fist make contact with the lower half of his face.

            "What the bloody hell was that for?" he screamed, cradling his bleeding lip.

            "You know what for!" he delivered another swift blow in Draco's direction, but this time he was alert and ducked out of the way.

            "What are you on about?" he screeched.

            "You fucking raped her!" he yelled.

            Draco looked at him for a minute. "Rape? What the hell? I didn't rape anyone!"

            "Oh yeah, cause we're going to believe you. She said you did and I believe her, you asshole!" Draco stepped back out of Ron's way.

            "Who the hell is _she? Who are we talking about?"  Draco exclaimed, completely bewildered._

            "Hermione!" Ron said through clenched teeth, his cold eyes not leaving Draco for a single second.

            "_Hermione?" Draco whispered._

            "Yes, Hermione. Why, how many girls do you rape in a day? Hard to remember all their names, is it?" Ron cried. 

            Draco chuckled inwardly. "So that's what this is about, is it? Believe me, I did not _touch Granger."_

            Ron stared at Draco incredulously. "Hit him, Harry." He breathed. Draco's head swung round and for the first time he realised there was more than two in the small room. _Of course - Potter. He thought.__ Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum… More like Beavis and Butthead. _

_            Harry fidgeted nervously. "Ron, I'm not sure if-" _

            "Fine, I'll do it." Ron said decidedly. Draco took his eyes off Potter just in time to see Ron's knuckles bruise his cheek. He gasped in agony and fell to the floor, massaging his swelling cheek. 

            "I'm telling you!" he screamed at them both. "I didn't touch her!"

            Harry shifted apprehensively as Ron drew back his arm to strike Draco again. 

            "What's going on up there?" they heard a voice call from downstairs.

            Ron let his arm drop and stared menacingly at Draco. Harry bit his lip and looked fearfully at Harry.

            "Nothing, Professor Sinistra. _Nothing at all." Ron replied monotonously. Draco breathed quickly, looking at Ron. _

            "You're lucky I didn't take Fred's bat, seeing as you're practically a bludger - a nasty pest who just gets in peoples way and annoys them." He spat. Draco scuttled back into a corner as Ron walked slowly towards him. Ron looked behind him, making sure the Professor wasn't coming up the staircase. 

            "I'm not done with you Malfoy. Not by a long shot." After delivering a compassionless kick to Draco's side, the red headed boy turned and went to the staircase, motioning to Harry to follow. Harry had turned a pale colour and looked at Malfoy with disgust and shock mixed on his face. He turned and followed Ron down the staircase.

            The door slammed behind him, and Draco was left in the dark room with only a splinter of sunlight coming through the window on the cloudy day, confused and in pain. 

***~*~*~*~***

            "Gee thanks for helping me out there, Potter." Ron murmured sarcastically. 

            Harry blushed. "Well, it was just…you know."

            "No Harry, I don't know. I have no idea why you stood there and didn't say anything to that scum." He spat.

            "Well, well w-we don't, well…" he stammered. Ron stopped walking and looked at Harry expectantly.  "We don't know if he did anything!" 

            Ron looked livid. "What the fuck do you mean?" 

            "Well, he says he didn't, so how do we know-"

            "Well he's hardly going to say 'Oh, yeah – I raped her' is he?" Ron whispered harshly as a group of giddy first years walked past.

            Harry chewed on his lip. "I don't know." he whispered almost inaudibly.

            "Harry," Ron said calmly, looking more upset for Hermione than angry now. "If you-know-who said he didn't touch your parents, or any of the others he killed, would you believe him?"

            Harry looked up into Ron's eyes. 

            "No." he said loudly and clearly. "You're right. He deserves what he got." 

            Ron nodded and they stood in silence for a few minutes. Ron felt ashamed for mentioning Harry's parents, but how else could he get him to understand?

            "Harry?" he said quietly.

            "Yeah?" 

            "Sorry for getting mad at you…and for…"

            "It's ok." Harry answered, cutting Ron off. "We all react differently I guess. I should've been there for Hermione." 

            At the mention of their friend, both boys fell silent and walked slowly back to the common room. 

***~*~*~*~***

            Hermione was reading the musty spines of the books in the Transfiguration room. It was a Saturday, but Professor McGonagall had given her permission months ago to use the books anytime she wanted. She had decided to escape to the empty classroom when she couldn't stick the dorm anymore, and she definitely wasn't in the mood for small talk in the common room. 

            "So I raped you did I?" she jumped at the cold voice. She spun round to see Draco standing at the door.

            "Draco." She whispered.

            "Ten out of ten for observation, Granger." He said callously. 

            Hermione breathed in sharply and moved towards the door. Draco took out his wand quickly and placed it on the door handle. 

            "Amitto." He said. As soon as he uttered the word, the handle dissolved. Hermione looked at him, enraged. Draco smirked. She pushed him out of the way and took out her own wand.

            "Alohomara." She said. Nothing happened. She looked back at Draco and back to the door. "Alohomara!" she yelled. She shook her wand. "What the hell? _Alohomara!" _

            "That won't work, you know." Draco drawled. Hermione turned and scowled at him. He was sitting casually on a desk. 

            "What do you want Malfoy?" she spat.

            "I want to know why you told your _minions I raped you when we both know I did nothing of the sort." He stood up and took a few steps toward her._

            "Oh, that." She said quietly, looking away.

            "Yes, that." He spat. They were both silent.

            "Well have you anything to say?" he said after a while. Hermione looked up into his once mesmerising, now angry, eyes.

            "I-I'm sorry." She whispered.

            "Hermione," he said quietly as he sat back at the table and put his face in his hands. "I don't care if you're sorry, I'm passed that. Why did you say it?"

            "I don't know. It was the easy way out I guess…"

            "The easy way out?" he exclaimed, looking up at her. "Well thanks to your 'easy way out' your little friends did this to me!" he thrust a hand at his face. Hermione looked at him, horrified, at his bruised cheek and swollen lip.

            "Draco…" she whispered. She was shocked that Ron or Harry would be capable of doing this to someone. She put a hand out and touched his bruise.

            "Don't touch me, bitch!" he snapped and pushed her away. She stumbled backwards, surprised. Draco scowled at her as he leapt off the table and walked towards the door. He took out his wand and pointed it to where the handle should have been. 

             "Accio Ansa." He murmured under his breath. The handle formed and he grabbed it, yanking the door open. He took one last look at Hermione. 

            "I hope you're happy now." 

            The door slammed shut and Hermione collapsed into a chair, once again wondering how the hell this had happened.

****

****

**A little not from me: wow- look at me I used Latin!! Amitto means 'I dismiss, send away' and Ansa means 'a handle'. Hehe I'm all proud! I was going to use the words for I open and I close but I couldn't remember the word for I open.  And I wasn't sure if 'Alohomara' was spelled right or if I got the Professor right. Ah well! Please r/r! **

Thanks to all my reviewers, I was all happy I got more than usual I think! 

**Draco's one and only: Lol, don't worry I'm definitely going to keep writing at this! And yes, I think Ron has gone insane! **

**Femme Fatale: Here you go! Em, actually, haven't decided what Hermione's going to do….mwahahaha…..!!**

**Yotama: Yes dear, I am evil, and proud of it! Oliver Wood? What I meant was Sean Biggerstaff (hehe)! By the way, I got that song you told me – it rocks!**

**LostAngel: Yeah you're loved! Aw I know, I have 11 days left of my summer and it feels so short, plus I have my GCSE course beginning in September and it's not over until 2 years! Well anyway, have a _tolerable time at school J_**

**Louise: you're quite vicious really, aren't you? Lol I'm only joking love! Did you like? I was thinking of putting him into a coma but then I'd be missing a main character, it would probably go all fluffy with Hermione at his bedside etc, but this way another fight scene isn't ruled out, although I'm not promising anything! **

Thanks to all reviewers and anyone else reading please review! Gets the chapters out faster! As always (well, for the past two or three chapters anyway) leave your e-mail address if you haven't already if you want me to e-mail you when the chapters are out.

mystical xx


	13. Radios and Grindylows

**Radios and Grindylows**

"Hey, Hermione! Look what my parents sent me!" Parvati screamed as she jumped onto Hermione's bed brandishing what looked like a muggle radio.

            "It's a Sadio or something! Watch this!" she flicked a switch on it and a song came blasting out.

_            "You're everywhere to me and when I close my eyes it's you I see, you're everything-" the song was cut off as Parvati flicked the switch again. She looked thrilled._

            "I got it for my birthday! Dad says it runs on datteries or something!" Hermione looked up at Parvati and smiled. She had come up to the dorm to think about what had happened earlier with Draco. She hadn't really wanted to talk to anyone but Parvati's smiling face cheered her up a bit.

            "Actually, it's a radio." She said. "And it runs on batteries." She smiled so Parvati wouldn't think she was a know-it-all. Luckily, Parvati smiled back. 

            "Oh yeah! I forgot you're muggle born!" Hermione proceeded to show her friend were the batteries were kept, which thoroughly amazed Parvati.

            "Cool." She breathed in awe. Hermione smiled and handed back the radio.

            "Wait, Parvati," Hermione said. "How did you get a muggle contraption to work in Hogwarts? Surely Hogwarts: A History wouldn't lie. Then again it's very out of date…"

"Oh my dad did some spell on it or whatever – who cares anyway? It works, that's all I need!" she laughed and Hermione chose to ignore her ignorance and law breaking. "Hey, why don't you come downstairs? Everyone's down in the common room?"

            "No, I…" she stopped mid-sentence. "Actually, yeah, why not?" Parvati grinned and jumped off the bed, pulling Hermione with her. They walked down the staircase together, Parvati ranting on about Lavender now wanting to become a muggle pop star. 

            "There you are!" She heard Harry call from across the room. She turned around to see his and Ron's worried faces.

            "Hey." She waved. She told Parvati she'd catch up with her in a minute and joined the boys in the far corner of the common room.

            "How are you?" Ron asked quietly, standing to let her sit in his armchair. She smiled thankfully and sat down.

            "I'm ok, thanks." She nodded. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She turned to smile at him and in doing so, saw his grazed knuckles. 

            "You're hand…" she began. Ron quickly hid the offending hand behind his back and sat down on the arm of Harry's chair.

            "Oh Ron, why? Why did you go after Draco?" she pleaded.

            "Hermione!" he exclaimed. He looked around nervously, thankful he hadn't attracted too much attention. "Look, I had to do something, ok? I couldn't let him get away with it."

            Hermione felt a stab of guilt. _Yet again, it's all my fault. "He looks awful." She whispered, looking at the crimson carpet._

            "What?" Harry said, looking up at her. "When did you see Draco?"

            "When he came to tell me abou-" Hermione stopped short. _Oh shit._

_            "What?" Ron said tightly. "Malfoy came to see you?" _

            Hermione nodded slowly. Why had she come down here in the first place?

            Ron looked infuriated. "I swear, if that idiot laid one finger on you…"

            "Ron, please!" Hermione pleaded. "He didn't do anything. He just came to say what you'd done!"

            "Hermione!" Harry cried. "Why are you sticking up for him?"

            Hermione felt her shoulders sag as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. "You wouldn't understand…" she whispered.

            "No, Hermione, we don't understand!" Ron shouted, oblivious to the heads turning to watch the scene unfolding before them. "Why don't you tell us?" She dropped her head into her hands and shook her head violently. She heard Ron sigh and felt his arm wrap around her shaking shoulders.

            "I'm sorry, 'Mione. I didn't mean to shout. I'm just having a hard time getting around the idea that…" he trailed off, not wanting to speak the words nobody wanted to hear.

            "I'm sorry too." Harry said, reaching out to hold her hand. "I can't possibly understand what you're going through, after all, I've never been raped." 

_That makes two of us Hermione thought miserably. This thought signalled a fresh wave of tears and she started to shake uncontrollably. Ron stroked her arm soothingly; Harry squeezed her hand to comfort her. In the background, she could hear Parvati's radio complimenting her thoughts._

_'Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?'_

****

***~*~*~*~***

            Draco sat under an old elm tree, looking out over the lake. He could see the Giant Squid teasingly poking a very aggravated Grindylow and couldn't help but feel a little bit of compassion for the usually annoying creature. The poor bugger had probably just come up to the surface to see a different side of life, to experiment. Do what he wanted, and also what he'd always been told not to do. 'To fill his hearts desire', one could say. But just as he was in reaching distance of what he'd longed for for so long, he was being pushed back. Kept away from what he'd wanted all this time.  And try as he might, he couldn't overcome that obstacle. He kept trying, but the squid wouldn't back down. He'd never get what he wanted. Not today, and probably not ever. The story sounded depressingly familiar to Draco.

            His observing was rudely interrupted by shrill laughter from the opposite end of the lake. He glanced over and recognised that Patil girl from his Potions class. He couldn't name the other people surrounding her but from the red robes they had donned told they were Gryffindors. 

            He scowled. What gave them the right to interrupt his 'lone time'?  It had taken him long enough to ditch Crabbe and Goyle.  He just wanted to be on his own now…

            _Oh, great he thought sarcastically as music blared from a small box Patil was waving around. __They're going to cause noise pollution just to annoy me even more. The word 'paranoid' quickly skipped across his mind, but he dismissed it quickly. _

            He listened closely. _'Feelings, nothing more than feelings, trying to forget my feelings of hate…' He didn't recognise it, which probably meant one thing; muggle music. He groaned inwardly. At this precise moment he did not want anything muggle related anywhere near him. Especially __her.  Perhaps his father's philosophy wasn't as incredulous as Draco had always thought; maybe anything muggle associated was scum. _

            What was he doing? Here he was, feeling bitter about Hermione's rejection and comparing himself to Grindylows. What the fuck had she done to him? He decided she had somehow brainwashed him. He didn't need her. He never had. It was just a one-off attraction. Not even that. He didn't need her, and he certainly didn't want her. _'I wish I'd never met you, you'll make me sick again...'_

            Looking back, he realised he'd never really wanted her. Maybe it was just one of those psychological things. He knew she wasn't initially attracted to him, so he wanted to beat her down. Have what he couldn't ever have. Like the 'bad-boy' attraction Psychiatry Medi-Witches had been ranting on about, except the opposite way round. He'd never really liked that mudblood at all.

            But now, now he hated her. He hated her for messing with him like that – even if he had subconsciously been messing her, but she did it intentionally. He hated her for spreading rumours about him – if a teacher heard he would certainly be expelled, for who would doubt the mudblood? And he hated her for getting her little followers to beat him. Beat him like he was lowly scum. Like her. He felt his wounds sting as he thought about the attack earlier on. How dare she? How could he ever have thought he liked her? Even loved her? _'Feelings like I never liked you, feelings like I want to kill you live in my heart…'_

            It was over. He'd never feel the need to be with her ever again, he'd never want to look into those hazel eyes of hers, kiss her perfect lips…never. He didn't want anything to do with her ever again. He could fool himself that he'd never wanted to be near her, but deep down he knew she'd hurt him. And he was never going to leave himself that vulnerable again. He was certain this time – he sincerely hated her, more than anything before. More than that twat Lockhart, more than Potter, even more than the entire Weasley family put together. He no longer had any connection with Hermione Granger, and that was how he wanted it to stay. _'Feelings like I've got to get you out of my life…'_

            He leaned back on the tree trunk and absentmindedly picked grass and threw it into the lake. The Giant Squid swatted angrily as the grass stuck to him. Draco smiled. The Grindylow hadn't been able to seek revenge on the Squid, so Draco would do it for him, even if it was just annoying him with grass. As the song on Patil's musical-box-device came to an end, Draco realised something; this little Grindylow would also get his revenge.

_'Get out of my life.' _

**A little note from me: Well, what did you think? Are you liking the change in Draco? Please drop a review and tell me what you think.**

**Gooey Gooey Coca Beans: lol, um, ok! Glad you liked that chapter! **

**Iris: ok so I'm guessing you don't like this then. Well, it's not everyone's 'cup of tea', I never said it was. But in future, if you review and don't like something, please give constructive criticism and point out which particular section is 'silly and immature'.  **

**DiOsA4U: thanks – I'm trying to steer away from the fluff, but sometimes I have to!**

**C: wow, thanks!**

**LostAngel: um, ok then. You scare me sometimes … lol only joking! **

**Femme Fatale: yeah I know Hermione's a confused little bitch, and now Draco's joined the ranks :D. Lol. Hmm you'll just have to see *wink wink*. I was thinking of making him do that but I thought it was too soon and I wanted him to have a talk with himself first. But I do have something planned… About Draco being OOC, I figured that the books only really show Harry's emotions. I mean, if someone's your enemy, they aren't going to show their vulnerability and good qualities to you. He can't be evil 24/7 so his personality is really left for HP readers to interpret. Thanks for reviewing!**

**ProfessorDragonfly: lol, yep some people can be asses. Big asses. Thanks!! Glad to hear you like it!**

**Louise: hehe I'm vicious? I'll take that as a compliment! Ummmm maybe. I'm not promising anything!**

Thank you anyone who reviewed! Please review this time too (I'm trying to get at least a hundred for this fic!!) leave your e-mail address if you want me to e-mail you when I update.

mystical xx

**DISCLAIMER: All Harry Potter related material is the very talented JK Rowling's property, the song 'Complicated' is by Avril Lavigne, 'Feelings' by The Offspring. All I own is the plot, the elm tree and Parvati's radio. I'm so privileged. **

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            __


	14. Tainted Love

**Tainted love**

            The next day, Draco found himself in Care of Magical Creatures class. He could hear people talking to him from all sides, and recognised the voices to be that of Pansy and her shrill shriek, Crabbe and his minimal grunt and Goyle and his low mumble. He wasn't listening to the words though. He was too busy looking at her. Hermione. She was still playing this 'rape' thing obviously. That twat Weasley had his arm wrapped protectively around her.  _That's my job Draco thought resentfully. He scowled, remembering what he had decided last night. She was nothing to him anymore. He wanted her and those idiots to burn in hell. _

            "Oh, erm…that 'der's gonna hur', tha' is, Neville." Hagrid's wise words of wisdom interrupted Draco's somewhat sinister thoughts. He glanced over to where the whimpering boy stood clutching his left arm, which Draco noticed was bleeding. He couldn't help but give a little smirk as he saw him scurrying away from the creature that had so willingly given him the wound - some sort of a buffalo and crocodile cross; nasty. 

            "Righ' folks, I'm just gonna take young Neville 'ere to ger cleaned up." The huge oaf spoke. He seemed a tad disturbed by Neville's screaming and kept sending the offending creature apologetic looks.  "Jus'…jus' chat amongst yerselves fer a while." He ushered Neville off into his cabin.

            The majority of the class simultaneously dropped onto nearby rocks and tree stumps and began to talk in either amused or tired tones. Draco didn't speak. He just looked. At them. _Look at her he thought. __Just look at the pompous bitch. __She's just bloody accused me of fucking rape, got my face smashed in and not to mention torn out, ripped up and spat on my fucking heart before putting it back in. And she just carries on as normal, like the past few days didn't happen._

            A loud crackling noise distracted him and he looked round to where the sound was coming from. He groaned – that bloody Patil girl had that music what's-it with her again. He felt like doing a frigging Expelliramus spell on it and personally ripping it to shreds. But he didn't. He had more important things to consider at the moment.

            He looked back to Hermione and nearly gasped at what he saw. She was laughing; laughing as though she didn't have a care in the world. Then again, she probably didn't.  Why should she care about him? She didn't care about him, and he had to realise that she never had. She'd just used him, used him so her and her sick friends could have a laugh.

            _'This state is elevating, as the hurt turns into hating, anticipating all the fucked up feelings again…'_

            She glanced over at him. For a minute, she looked shocked to see him. _Well what was she expecting? He thought bitterly. __That I'd miss classes to get over my 'broken heart'? She's even more stuck up than I thought. She opened her mouth as if she was about to say something to him, then thought against it and abruptly closed it. She sighed and Draco thought he saw the shine of a tear forming in her eyes. He wondered if there was anyway in which she felt sorry, remorseful even. He cocked his head and stared back into her eyes. She held the gaze, not blinking or moving. Draco saw a dark shadow fall across her impassive face, and realised quick enough it was Potter. Bloody Potter -always sticking his nose in where he wasn't wanted. He whispered something to Hermione and she smiled and nodded her head. She turned around back again, swinging her hair over her shoulder. __'My hurt inside is fading, this shit's gone way too far, all this time I've been waiting…You've taken everything and oh I cannot give anymore...'_

_            And it was gone. That fleeting glimpse of regret, of sympathy. Maybe even of love. In an instant it was gone. With a flick of her hair she had turned her back on him again. __'Can I throw it all away? Take back what's mine…each cut closer to the vein…'_

            Well it was the last time. It was the last time she would flick her hair and turn her back on him. She wouldn't cut him off anymore. He realised what those muggles on Patil's music box were saying was true; he _had given everything and she had taken it, but never returned it. And most of all, this shit had gone way too far, and she was going to pay._

***~*~*~*~***

Hermione listened as Harry and Ron talked to her aimlessly. She knew why; they were trying to keep her mind off things. Things like Draco. Things like her 'rape'. She felt awful. Awful for lying to her friends when all they ever wanted was to protect her. And for accusing Draco, when all he ever did was love her. And all she ever did was love him back. 

But somehow she had managed to mess things up. She had pulled another Hermione stunt and made things a hundred times more complicated than they were. Nothing needed to be complicated. She had given up Draco, for whom she had acquired feelings for out of thin air, because she was worried what her friends would say. She had been a coward. And by conjuring up this rape story, she was even more a coward. What was it they had called her at muggle primary school? 'Cowardly custard'; that was it. She had never understood how custard could be cowardly, but it didn't matter. She was a coward, and always had been. And always would be. 

She looked up, only to see Draco standing and looking at her about 5 foot away. He had his entourage also; Pansy and the goons. But he, too, wasn't paying attention. He was looking at her. And she was looking at him. For a moment she wanted nothing more than to go to him and apologise for everything. She remembered their kiss with accuracy, how heartfelt it had been. So loving. She felt her eyes glaze over with the formation of tears. 

But that moment ended far too soon altogether as Harry's voice interrupted her thoughts, thus ending her connection with Draco. She smiled gently at her friend before turning away. 

By flicking her hair over her shoulder, she managed to steal a quick glance at Draco again. Any emotion that had been displayed in his eyes had quickly disappeared, only to be replaced immediately by anger. _Well what did I expect? She thought miserably. __Did I honestly think he would forgive me? After what I've done, I don't expect anyone to forgive me._

Yes, she felt awful, but that was nothing to the shame she felt.

***~*~*~*~*__**

            "Ron! I'll be fine!" Draco Malfoy stopped before he rounded the corner. He recognised Hermione's pleading voice automatically. He heard an indistinguishable reply from Weasley.

            "Ron, it's not late! It's only nine o'clock in the evening for heavens sake!" Draco checked his watch, and fair enough it was indeed nine pm. He hadn't realised he had been walking for so long.

            "I'm only going for a walk!" she sighed. More indistinguishable sounds from Ron followed. "No, I want to go on my own." She replied.

            "Ok, ok! I'll be back by ten at the latest – I promise." She said. Draco leant against the wall and furrowed his brow, concentrating on the conversation. 

            "I know you are." She said quietly. "But Ron, please, I just want to be on my own for a while. To think…"she trailed off. Draco rolled his eyes – she really was playing out this rape story for all it was worth. 

            "Bye, Ron." Draco straightened up as he heard her approaching footsteps and stepped back into the shadows. He watched her walk a few steps before checking round the corner to make sure Ron had left. A small smile tugged at his lips. Payback time.

***~*~*~*~***

"Well look who it is." Hermione stopped in her tracks. She knew that voice anywhere. She spun round to find Draco Malfoy standing close to her. She looked around quickly for someone. No one was in sight. 

"D-Draco…" she stammered. "What are you doing here?" 

"What am I doing here?" he whispered. "What are you doing here? I wouldn't have thought it was safe for the victim of a recent rape attack to be wandering around dark, empty corridors late at night." With each word he inched forward, making Hermione move backwards until she was pressed up against the wall, Draco only a mere foot in front of her.

"Draco, I'm so sorry, I never meant -"

"I'd imagine it would be especially dangerous when the attacker…"he paused and smirked at Hermione. "…was still at loose."

"Draco…what are you doing?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"Tell me, Hermione." He said casually. "You're a mudblood. Surely you know the story of the Boy who cried Wolf?"

Hermione swallowed. _Oh God she thought. W__hat's he going to do to me? Why the hell did I ever say that stuff?_

"Yes." She choked out. "Yes, I know the story." 

"Well then," he smiled. "Think of me as the wolf."

***~*~*~*~***

            "Draco, please! Don't do this…" Hermione pleaded. Draco looked in her eyes. She was scared. He put his arms round her waist and filled the gap between them.

            "Why not?" he spat. "You were quite happy to make up these games, but when they come true you want to stop playing. That's not very fair, Hermione." Silent tears started to roll down her cheeks. 

            "Please, no. Please… please…" she shook her head and looked despairingly into his eyes. 

            "Hermione, you hurt me. You used me. Did you think I wouldn't care?" he cursed himself as he heard his voice choke. Oh God, now was definitely not the time for an emotional breakdown.

            "No! It wasn't that! I…I was scared. I didn't know what to do…" she cried.

            "Hermione, people get asked out everyday in this world. How many of them do you reckon cry rape?" he reasoned.

            "Well, I don't know!" she spat back, startling Draco. "Depends how many of them get asked out by you!"

            Draco felt his face harden. He certainly hadn't been expecting that. 

            _'The love we share seems to go nowhere…' _

            Hermione looked up, smiling. Music. That could only mean one thing.

            "Parvati." She told Draco. "Looks like your master plan has been foiled."

            He scowled. "You reckon?" he took out his wand and pointed it in the general direction of Parvati. "_Admonitio." _

            There was a slight bang which what they assumed was Parvati dropping the radio. "Crap!" she yelled. "My detention!" They heard running feet which gradually disappeared as Parvati left for her 'detention'. The music blared on.

            Draco smirked. "Handy little spell." 

            Hermione looked baffled. "How did y-" 

            "You pick up a few things when you're as _evil as me." He retorted.  _

            "She left her radio." She pointed out. Draco shrugged.

            "Background music."

            "She'll be back for it."

            "Wanna bet?" Hermione swallowed and looked away. 

            "Why are you doing this?" she whispered.

            "Doing what?" he asked innocently. She looked up hopefully at him.

            "I haven't started yet…" she bit her lip and looked down the hall. She knew no one else would come. She knew she didn't have a chance. He pressed onto her and started to kiss her roughly. Silent tears ran down her face. 

            _'This tainted love you've given, I give you all a boy could give you, take my tears and that's not nearly all…"_

            Draco grabbed her arms tightly as he moved down to her neck and held her against the wall. She winced as he squeezed the bruises she had given herself earlier that day. She had used a broomstick she had found in her dorm to hit herself around the arm and shoulder area for a few minutes. She had stopped when it suddenly hit her how sadistic this whole charade was. She'd ended up collapsing on the floor and crying for half an hour, something she had become all too familiar with recently.

_            Draco looked at her strangely as pain flashed across her face. His gaze shifted to where he was holding her and he slowly let go. He rolled up the loose sleeves of her robes and stopped when he saw the deep purple and blue bruises. Suppressing a gasp, he looked up at her._

            "How did that happen?" he asked quietly.

            "I-I had…it was…so they would…"she trailed off, not knowing what to say.

            "You mean _you did this? Deliberately?" he asked, shocked._

            "I had to." She whispered, looking at the ground.

            "Let me guess," he sighed, outlining the bruises gently with his finger. "For your 'rape'." She nodded.

            "Looks like I needn't have bothered though." 

            His head snapped up to look at her. "What do you mean?"

            She gestured towards him with her head. "Looks like you're going to do the honours." 

            Draco just looked at her in amazement. _I should he thought __I should teach her a lesson once and for all. He looked back down to the bruising._

            "You're one sick bitch, you know that?" he murmured.

            "Look who's talking."

            "Me?" he exclaimed.

            "Yes, you." She spat. "You're going to fucking rape me apparently, so why the hell don't you just get it over and done with?" 

            "Well, I wouldn't have had to rape you if you hadn't made up that fantasy of yours!"

            "Fantasy? You think I _fantasise about you?"_

            Draco's eyes narrowed and he dropped the fabric of her robes. He didn't realise he had been holding them too tightly until he heard the loud split in the material. Neither of them bothered to look at the rip.

            _'You don't really want anymore from me…'_

            "Give me one good reason, Granger. One good reason and I'll walk away and leave you forever."

            Hermione rolled her eyes and bit her tongue as she felt new tears scratching at her eyes. She felt Draco's hands snake their way around her waist again. His grip tightened and she found herself looking directly into his blue grey eyes. Their noses were almost touching and she could feel his breath on her. 

            "You said you loved me." She whispered.

            "You said you loved me too."

            "I never said I didn't."  

Draco's eyes widened as Hermione's arms found their way around his neck.

            _'Don't touch me please, I cannot stand the way you tease, I love you though you hurt me so, now I'm going to pack my things and go…'_

            "Bitch!" Draco yelled, jumping out of her way and pushing her into the wall. "You're an A class bitch, Granger! I'm fucking sick of your games! You're a sick, twisted, manipulative, evil little mudblood bitch!"

            "Excuse me?" she shrieked. "What the hell did you call me?"

            "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if this was all just one of your sick experiments." He yelled, ignoring her. "What did you do, Hermione? Cast a love spell and couldn't suffer the consequences? Is that it? Tell me, are Weasel and Scar-face in on it too? Or maybe it's the entire fucking Weasley family? Did you have a good laugh? Did you sit with all the Gryffindors and have a good old laugh about the Malfoy stupid enough to fall for your twisted joke? Is that it?" 

            "No!" she cried. "No! It wasn't like that at all!" 

            "Forget it, bitch." He spat, backing away from her. "I can't believe how foolish I was to ever think I could have loved you."

            Draco stormed off without a second glance at her, while Hermione fell to the floor in a tearful crumpled heap, as she watched the one person she'd ever have a chance of loving walk out of her life for good. 

            _'Touch me baby, tainted love…"_

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**A little note from me: a-hem…well? What did you think? I wrote this chapter a few times because I wasn't sure how to work round it and whether or not Draco would go through with it – I honestly hadn't anticipated the argument or Hermione saying she loved him, it just kind of happened. And I think this way is kind of credible because both characters are so stubborn.  I was going to split this in half and finish this chapter just after Draco overheard Ron and Hermione, but then the chapter would be pretty uneventful and you guys deserved more!**

**LostAngel****: Hmm I like your version better! Oops, I guess I kind of did exactly what you didn't want then…hehe, sorry! Although I like the idea of Parvati brain damaging someone…lol – watch this space!**

**Christine: yep I know, I hadn't actually set out for her to be a cow – I guess my sub-conscious really hates her! Rape is really serious and I wasn't sure whether or not to go ahead with this storyline as I didn't know if I could do it well. As far as the actual story goes, Hermione's scared of being hurt and how her friends will react. Basically she doesn't want to be vulnerable and Ron and Harry offered an easy way out although she was ashamed to take it. Lol, eat your heart out Freud! …Yeah, ok, maybe not then…**

**C: lol everyone thinks Hermione's a bitch now! And it wasn't even intentional…ah well! I like your idea though, I might work it in…I'm using lots of dots today…hehe…ok I'll stop now…**

**Femme Fatale: here it is! Aw thank you! **

**DiOsA4u*: sorry, no fluff in this chapter either! Just keep reading the middle part of chapter 10 over and over! Lol. Yeah but suspense is so much fun to write!! Well, now you know – what did you think? _::Gasps:: I have a fan?! __::Gasps again:: and you're going mental?! A mental fan?! __(sniff sniff) Thank you so much!_**

Thank you all my fans (Ooh I like that word, DiOsA4u*!!).  Hmm on second thought, I'll keep to reviewers – my ego might explode if I convince myself I have fans! Please tell me what you thought of this chapter via review or e-mail or both!!! I'm going back to school in a few days (damn it!) but I'll still be updating, just might not be as quickly. But you never know, I could update quicker! But I'm not giving up on this story! 

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**DISCLAIMER: All Harry Potter lark belongs to JKR, the song "Here to stay" is by Korn and "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell and more recently Marilyn Manson. I don't own any of it. So there. **

By the way, "_Admonitio__" means "Reminder". Woohoo for me! Summer holidays and I'm getting out Latin books! As always, leave your e-mail address and I will send you an e-mail when I post a chapter. Please drop a review – it takes 3 seconds and makes me happy for days! Please! Any suggestions or questions are welcomed. _

mystical xx


	15. No Bloody Idea

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No bloody idea 

"Bitch!" yelled Draco as he entered his dorm. 

"Who's a bitch?" Crabbe asked, looking up from his Oscar Wilde book. Draco, of course, did not notice his reading material.

            Draco moaned into his pillow as he collapsed on to the four-poster bed. "Vincent," he sighed, turning onto his back to stare up at the canopy. "Just leave. Ok? Can you just…leave me alone, for once?"

            "Fine." Crabbe stood as he bookmarked his page. He was annoyed by Draco's dismissive attitude, but knew better than to aggravate him when he called him Vincent. 

            Draco waited until he heard the door close before letting out a sigh. She had done it again. The bloody bitch was intent on messing with his mind.

            Just as he had begun to get over her, she comes out with a line like that. _I never said I didn't. What the fuck did that mean? Did she still love him? Had she ever? Or maybe it was just another sick line to twist the dagger. Or maybe she just wanted out of that situation._

            If there was one thing Draco had discovered in the past week or so with Hermione it was that she was not a fan of confrontations. Every time he had got her on her own, she had wanted nothing more than to be anywhere else. Maybe he should've taken that as a hint. 

            The thing was though, why was he so…affected? There really was no other word for it. He had sworn he had forgotten about her. He didn't need her. So how come this hurt him so much? Why was it that everything she did to him mattered? Why couldn't he just move on?

            A loud knock at the door brought him back from his wandering thoughts. 

            "Draco?" he heard a voice say quietly. He looked round to where the voice had come from, somewhat startled. The sight that greeted him was a shy looking Millicent Bullstrode. 

            "Can I come in?" she asked. Draco nodded yes and she stepped in lightly, closing the door behind her. She fiddled with the side of her robes and bit her lip before scooting over to sit at the edge of Draco's bed. 

            "Um, Crabbe said you were in a bad mood, and I know I don't know you that well and all, but I just thought I'd come see if you were ok. You know, I mean, in case it's serious, or if you want to talk, or need help with something, um, I mean, like homework. But if you don't, I can go. I can go anyway. Or I can stay, not that I want to – oh but not that I don't! I can stay or I can go. It's up to you. I just thought that maybe you could use the company or something, or maybe…" Draco watched the babbling girl with curiosity. True, they'd never exactly been close friends, but he'd always seen her as quite a strong minded individual. Why would she be blathering on like that and going that funny red colour? Unless…

            "What?" she asked, stopping her rant. "Why are you smiling at me like that?" she touched her hair self-consciously.

            Draco laughed softly. "No, no it's not that. I was just thinking."

            "Oh." She looked down at her hands for a moment before looking up at him again. "Want to talk about it?" 

            Draco smiled lightly. "Mmm." He pondered, as he crossed his legs Indian-style and rested his chin on his knuckles. "Tell me, Millicent, do you know when the next Hogsmeade weekend is?"

            Millicent looked at him oddly before answering slowly. "It's this weekend. Tomorrow."

            Draco reached out and took her hand, provoking a rush of more red to her cheeks. "And tell me, how would you like to be my _companion on the trip?"_

            Millicent gasped and stammered as she looked at Draco's calm face. "Y-you mean, like, on a…a…d-da…on a-"

            "Yes, Millicent. I mean, on a _date." Draco replied, softly kissing her hand. Millicent positively beamed. __Yep Draco thought__ Hermione is definitely on her way to being forgotten._

***~*~*~*~***

            "You said you'd be back fifteen minutes ago." Hermione moaned as she climbed through the portrait hole to Ron's complaining voice.

            "Yes, I know. I got sidetracked, ok? I'm sorry." She strolled lazily over to where her friends were sitting. Well, Harry was sitting, Ron was standing brandishing the wristwatch Hermione had given him for Christmas. 

            "Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, standing up also. "You look a mess!" 

            "Thank you." Hermione drawled, falling into an armchair. 

            "I'm serious, Herm, look at yourself!" Hermione cast a weary eye over her robes. There were some severe rips from were Draco had held her a little too tight for comfort. She could feel her hair stuck to her face and probably looked a right mess, and her eyes stung from all the crying. 

            "Yeah, well, I fell." Both boys turned and looked at her in surprise.

            "You fell?" Ron asked. He raised an eyebrow. "You ripped your robes and completely fucked up your hair falling?" 

            "Yes, Ron. That's what I said." Hermione said slowly. "And there's no rule saying I have to look pristine all the time you know. If I want my hair to be fucked up, it can just be fucked up. You reckon you could live with that?"

            Ron breathed deeply and shut his eyes, trying to control his anger.  "Ok. You're right, if you want your hair to be styled like that, that's up to you. But how do you explain the ripped robes?" 

            "I told you! I fell!" Hermione screamed and quickly hid her face in her hands. Ron sat down on the chair beside her and stooped so he was at her eye-level. He gently tipped her face to look at him.

            "You've been crying." He said after a second of studying her face. 

            "Yes, Ron, I noticed that too." She murmured sarcastically. Ron sighed quietly. 

            "You met Malfoy didn't you?" Hermione's head snapped up at the mention of Draco's name.

            "Why does everything have to do with fucking Draco Malfoy?" she whispered. Ron leant back in his chair and slowly shook his head.

            "Hermione, that must've been one hell of a fall if it's got you worked up like this." He said.

            "Well it was a big fall! I fell down the bloody entrance stairs if you must know!" she exclaimed.

            "The entrance stairs?" Ron asked incredulously, standing. "Bloody hell, Hermione, we should get you to Madam Pomfrey!"  

            "Shut up!" she retaliated, jumping out of her chair. "You and your frigging Madam Pomfrey! Just leave me alone!"  Ron stepped back, shocked. 

            "Hermione, I'm only trying to help you!" he pleaded.

            "I know you are Ron, I know!" she cried. "But you have to learn that there are some things that you just can't help!" 

            "Please, Hermione, I only want to-" 

            "Help me…" she interrupted him. "Ron, you can't. Not anymore." With that last remark, Hermione swept out of the room and up the stairs to the safety of her dorm room. 

            Ron turned to the predominantly quiet Harry. 

            "What the fuck was that about?" he asked him. Harry shook his head.

            "No bloody idea, mate." He sighed. "No bloody idea." 

***~*~*~*~***

            Hermione surveyed the damage on her ripped robes. She hadn't even noticed at the time that Draco had done this to her clothes, but neither of them had been thinking straight, she supposed. Well, she hoped, anyway.

            She pulled her pyjama top over her head and climbed into her bed, brining the bed quilts up round her neck. She knew she shouldn't have gone off at Ron like that. He was only trying to help her. Basically, she hated herself, and Ron was the closest person to lash out at. Senseless theorem, yes, but there you had it. 

            The night's earlier events replayed themselves over and over again in her minds eye. She still couldn't comprehend what exactly went on with Draco earlier. The conversation echoed in her head. What had happened? More importantly, what was going to happen?

            Hermione had hardly had any time to arrange her thoughts when a ray of light spilled across her bed and she heard Lavender enter the bedroom. Shutting her eyes tight, she pulled the covers closer. She mentally sighed as Lavender, making no effort to shut the door _quietly, started singing a song that Hermione had heard a lot on Parvati's radio recently._

            _'…She said see ya later boy, he wasn't good enough for her. She had a pretty face but her head was up in space, she needed to come back down to earth…'_

            Hermione smirked into her pillow. Apt lyrics, even if she did say so herself. God, this was a sick and twisted world. _'Hermione Granger: a theme tune to the life of'. Come to think of it though, fundamentally she had rejected Draco on similar grounds as this singer.  She had decided- __decided, if you please – that she and Draco couldn't be. _

            "Hey, I was looking for you!" Hermione heard Parvarti's penetrating screech call from the doorway. She proceeded to slam the heavy door and bounded over to Lavender, landing on her bed with a thud. 

            "Well, I just came up here." The blonde girl answered. "Professor Trelawny said I could help look into her orb. I saw loads of really weird stuff!" Hermione mentally rolled her eyes. _'Yes, Lavender, that would be your reflection.'_

            "Oh. Why did she ask you and not me?" Parvati sounded upset. Lavender quickly burst into a stammered explanation of how she was passing by and just so happened to see the (slightly crazed) professor. To Hermione's surprise, Parvati seemed to accept this meagre attempt at an excuse. 

            "Ooh, where's your radio?" Lavender squealed. 

            "Under my bed!" The girl answered. _'You mean you actually set it down sometimes?'_ Hermione thought. She liked the girl and all, but at this moment in time, just about everything was pissing her off. 

            "Turn it on then!" Lavender reasoned. There was a lot of shuffling about which Hermione could only presume was Parvati looking for the device. 

            "Wait a minute." She heard her say. "What if we wake Hermione up?" Hermione was impressed. _'You mean you noticed I was here?'_

            "But she's asleep." Lavender retorted. 

            "Exactly…" Parvati said, confusion evident in her voice. Lavender sighed impatiently.

            "Yeah, so if she's asleep, she won't be able to hear us." 

_'Wow, Lav.'_ Hermione thought. _'Genius thinking there.'_

"Hey, you've got a point!" Parvati exclaimed as she turned on the radio to full blast; _'…I know you're going to be upset…' _

            A soft knock at the door came moments later and Hermione heard one of the girls nosily move to the door and open it. 

            "Oh – Ron. Hi. What are you doing here?" Hermione clenched the blankets. Oh - oh.  

            "Um, Lavender, I need to speak with Hermione." His deep voice sounded out of place in the girls' room, which, since half way through third year, had been permanently cluttered with robes and '_Easy Peasy Hogsmeadey Weird, Wonderful and Wacky Hair Styling Serum_' - a bit of a mouthful to say in the morning, anyway. However, it was not 'Easy Peasy' and usually ended up all over your hands and robes, as Hermione had found out when Lavender had persuaded her to style her hair differently in fifth year. 

            "Sorry, Ron, she's asleep." Answered an impatient Lavender.

            "To the un-trained eye, she probably is. But I need to speak with her." 

_'The un-trained eye?'_

"What do you mean to th- Hey, Ron! You can't just barge in here! This is a girls dorm, y'know! Hey!" Hermione clenched her eyes shut as she heard hurried foot steps come over to her bed. She felt Ron sit down beside her on the bed.

"Ron!" She recognised Parvati's voice. "Look, do you believe us now? She's asleep, God damnit! Get out before I call McGonagall!" Ron clucked his tongue. 

"Ok, Hermione. You can 'wake up' now." He sighed.

She held her breath.

"Hermione, I've been your best friend for sixth years. I know when you're asleep and when you're faking it to get out of a situation you don't want to be in."  _God,_ she thought, _am I really that obvious?_

She rolled over and cautiously opened her eyes to find herself staring up into the sapphire eyes of one Ronald Weasley. 

"Well look who it is!" he said in a mock-tone to a gob smacked Lavender and Parvati.  Parvati dropped the radio on the bed and mumbled something incomprehensible, sauntering out of the room, Lavender not far behind. 

"Ron, I'm sorry about earlier, really, I don't know what happened." Hermione let the words tumble out of her mouth.  Ron smiled gently.

"It's ok. You're stressed - Harry and I know that. And I guess you're right, recently most conversations have been about that slimy, Slytherin, pretentious, fucking-"__

"Ron." Hermione interrupted. He grinned broadly. 

"Oh, yeah, what was I saying? Anyway, most conversations have been about…" he stalled for the right word. "…_him_ recently, so Harry and I have decided that even though this is a big thing, you deserve to take your mind off it."

"Really? Well, what have Harry and you planned then?" she asked, smiling.

"Well, Madam," Hermione laughed at his French accent. "We thought we could all go on the Hogsmeade trip together this weekend."

"Well, Monsieur, that would be lovely." She smiled gratefully and he laughed, pulling her into a hug.

"Hermione?" he mumbled into her hair then lifted his head up to rest on her shoulder. "I know I said I wouldn't talk about Malfoy anymore, and I know you know this already, but he's bad news."

'…The one you warned me all about, the one you said I could do without, we're in an awful mess…' 

            "How do you mean?" she whispered. He pulled back and looked into her eyes.

            "Well, I don't know whether or not you ran into him tonight, but if you say you didn't, then I guess that's good enough for me. I'm not going to make you tell me anything you don't want to. But I'm just telling you, you have no reason to protect him."  Hermione bit her lip as Ron delivered this speech. 

"Thank you." She managed to choke out. "Ron, you're a great friend."

"I know." He grinned. "I'm thinking of getting that put onto business cards – 'Ronald Weasley; friendship extraordinaire.'" 

Hermione laughed quietly. "Yeah, why not?" 

"Look Herm', I know you don't want to tell any teachers, and you didn't like my method of dealing with it, as much as I enjoyed it…"

"Ron!" she exclaimed.

"Ok, ok! I'm just saying, it's up to you, ok? You call the shots now. It's your decision." 

Hermione smiled at him. "I know that now." She said quietly. "Thanks."  Ron returned her smile and gently got up and left the room.

He was right. She knew that now. She had to come to a decision.

And she'd made that decision. 

'…But I've made up my mind, oh, I'm keeping my baby, oh, I'm gonna keep my baby…'

            **A little note from me:** Well, what did you all think of chapter 15 then? Please tell me! Sorry this is so late in coming out, but seriously, my computer turned against me. First of all FanFiction was down (I think it was, it's been so long I can't remember) and my computer crashed and it wouldn't work for a week and then all this other crap happened and all my stuff was on floppy's all over the joint and school started back and la-di-da-di-da the world just turned against me basically. And on top of it all, I was at a complete loss for what to write. I have 'mixed feelings' about this chapter. Some I'm happy with, some I'm…not, to put it nicely. Anyway, tell me what you think and I'll try better next time! So sorry for the delay!

**Lily2000:** I actually really liked your idea! I was thinking of doing something like that after I read your review but I'm not sure if it would work. I really don't know what I'm going to do! This story writes itself! Lol, thank you for reviewing!

**The_Dragons_Girl: **I'll try my best!

**Femme Fatale: **Yeah I was actually planning on him raping her but I couldn't! Plus that would make him into the 'really really bad guy' in this fic and I don't want to constrict what I can do next. Does that make sense? Lol. Yeah I love rock – how did you tell?!?! Lol ok guess I wasn't that subtle…and yes, that was Korn! Thanks for reviewing!!

**C:** thank you! I'm leaning towards your idea now! 

**DiOsA4u*: **lol good luck with that club! Aw you're going mental? Now I feel bad for not updating sooner but I couldn't help it! I'm so sorry! Wow I'm on your top list – I'm very flattered! And yes, I'll try not to ruin it! What's your pen name because I can never find you?

**Yotama:** Yup – is it too heavy though? Hmm. Thanks for reviewing love!

**Rina: **One of the best you've read? Wow! Thank you! And yeah, I'm getting the general feeling that people think my Hermione is mean…whoops….lol thanks for reviewing!

**_And last, but not a chance in hell the least, _****Louise: **Look! It's real! It's finally here!! I won't have to put up with you singing "15" all day! Lol I'm only joking love, you know I love ya! And thanks to you, I have finally sat down (Yes, it is 2am on a Saturday morning, but hey) and putting the last parts on this chapter. But there's more to come, don't worry; you won't have to resort to reading (gasps) **_set English class books!_** Dum dum dum!! (although some of them aren't that bad…I'll shut up now…)

**Disclaimer: **JK Rowling owns all the Harry Potter lark and I'm just borrowing it, Madonna and more recently Kelly Osbourne performed (who owns it??) "_Papa don't preach_". K? We all got that? Cool.

If anyone wants me to e-mail them when I post a chapter, just leave a review with your e-mail address! Thanks! 

****

mystical xx


	16. Curiosity Killed The Cat

Curiosity killed the Cat

"Ok, are we all ready?" Ron's voice broke through Hermione's thoughts. She looked up from her position on the small table and nodded slowly, smiling. 

"Yep!" Harry called, his voice muffled from where he was bending behind the couch. He emerged a minute later holding his wand up triumphantly. "Got it! I'm all set now!" 

"Um…Harry?" Lavender ventured precariously. Harry looked around him. 

"Uh huh?" 

"You might need your glasses."

Harry desperately clutched at his eyes before a horrified look fell over his face. 

"Aw shit! Where the bloody hell are my glasses?" He bolted up the stairs to his dormitory. Hermione chuckled inwardly – _Trust Harry_. 

She looked round to see Ron looking at her sympathetically and she sent him a confused look in return.

"What?" she sighed, exasperated. She started to laugh cautiously. "Ron, tell me what's up? Is there something in my hair or-?"

"No, no. Your hair's fine." He smiled. She continued to fuss warily with her frizzy mane. "'Mione." He warned. She stopped immediately. 

"Look, are you sure about this?" Ron asked quietly.

"About what?" Hermione looked momentarily confused before her hands rushed to her hair again. "Jesus, Ron! If there's something in my hair and you're not bloody well telling me-"

Ron signalled for her to stop. "Hermione! I'm not talking about your hair! I mean this. Are you sure about this?"  

Hermione looked around curiously. _Sure about what?_ Her eyes fell upon a stack of Transfiguration books in the far corner.

"Are you taking the piss out of me?" she accused. "Look, I know I stress about exams, but I have never studied non-stop, contrary to popular belief. Believe it or not, I'm not a complete swot and I certainly do not appreciate-"

"Can you shut up for one second?" Ron asked, though he grinned. Hermione stuck her tongue out back at him yet returned the grin. "I'm talking about Hogsmeade. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Ron…" Hermione started slowly. "I've been to Hogsmeade many times before you know. I think I'll survive."

"Hermione – I meant will you be able to see Mal-"

"We're not talking about him." She interjected sharply. "Today is not about him. It's about us. The three of us – doing things like we used to."

Ron didn't look convinced. "But-"

"Deal?" she held out her hand. He hesitated for a few moments before taking her slender hand in his own sturdy grip. 

"Deal." 

***~*~*~*~***

          _Dear God, how long does it take her?_ Draco sighed as he tapped his hand impatiently on the arm of the chair. He had told Millicent to meet him in the Common Room twenty minutes ago, but she had yet to appear. What the hell was taking her so bloody long?

          "What the hell is taking you so bloody long?" he yelled through her door, voicing his thoughts exactly. 

          "I just don't know what to wear!" replied her muffled shriek.  

          "Clothes, please." He muttered. A sudden pictorial thought came to mind and he cringed. _God help us all; please, clothes!_

          He relaxed back into his chair, his vision quickly ebbing away. But not quick enough. He shuddered. That thought would have a lasting effect.

          He rested his head on the back of the chair. At this rate they'd be late and not get to go to Hogsmeade at all. He was almost regretting asking Millicent to accompany him today. _Hermione wouldn't have taken this long_ he thought. He scowled for thinking that. Who gave a damn about that Mud…Granger, anyway? 

          '_You do!_' piped up his inner child-like and unbelievably annoying voice. 

          _Oh great, you're back._ He thought bitterly. _And no I don't. _

'_Yes you do,'_ it replied. '_You can't even swear about her in you head._' 

          _Yeah I can._ He thought.

          _'Hello? Not much point lying to me. I'm you. So you're lying to yourself. I think. Or rather you think…' _the voice pondered.

_Are you done?_  Draco mentally asked it.

_'No.'_ Draco groaned. _'As I was saying, Denial aint no river in Egypt, mister!'_

_Stop it with the embarrassing clich__és! _He retorted.

_'You're changing the subject; you still like Hermione.'_

_I don't._ He thought angrily. He thought back to yesterday. Why did she have some obsession with messing up his mind? Did she and the other two get some kind of sadistic kick out of it? What was it – a "Hey, lets break the Slytherin's heart and make him feel like shit" kind of game? 

_'You do.'_ The voice repeated. _'You can't even call her Mudblood.'_

_I can. _He insisted.

_'No you can't.'_ It taunted._ ' Go on – I dare you!'_

"Mudblood!" Draco screamed. "Mudblood, Mudblood, Mudblood!"

"Erm…Draco?" Draco spun around and saw a rather scared looking Millicent standing in the doorway. "What…who were you talking to?" 

"Nothing." He spat. "No one. Are you ready? Lets go."

She stood looking at him for a few seconds and smiled softly. Draco took the hint. 

"You look, uh…" he took in her typical teen witch apparel; violet robes that reached just below her knees tied with a belt round her waist and a golden clasp; very unimaginative. "…Good. You look good. Are we ready to go?"

Millicent looked crestfallen for a moment before fixing a smile on her face. "Yeah. I'm ready."

_'Bout bloody time too._ He thought. Instead he nodded and grasped her wrist, probably a bit too harshly, and led her out of the common room. He should've been acting nicer to her, but he wasn't in the mood. 

_Damn Mudblood. _He glowered. _Messing with my mind when she's not even here._

**_*~*~*~*~*_**

****

 Hermione scanned the great hall cautiously. She had thought about her decision all night, and it still seemed the right thing to do. If only Harry and Ron knew what she'd been doing…how could she have been such a bitch? But all would be commended now…if he still wanted her.

_Obviously not._ She suppressed a gasp as she finally caught side of Draco…holding onto Millicent Bullstrode. 

***~*~*~*~***

"Draco!" Millicent whined. "You're hurting me!" Draco rolled his eyes. She had been constantly whining about something since they left the common room. Now, apparently, he was holding her arm to tightly. He spun round to face her.

"Bloody hell, Millicent! If you don't shut up -" he stopped as he caught sight of Granger looking at them, completely dumbfounded. He put on his most charming smile and looked at Millicent.

"So sorry about that, sugar." He said, probably a little too loudly. He twisted himself behind her and draped his arms carefully around his waist. He allowed himself a little smirk as he saw Hermione look down and turn away. Hell, today would be fun.

***~*~*~*~***

"Hermione, are you ok?" Ron asked her as they walked through Hogsmeade. She nodded slowly.

"You sure?" Harry said. "You hardly said anything all the way here." 

"I know." She replied. "Sorry. I've just been thinking."

Ron stopped walking and turned to her. "About Dra-"

"No." she snapped. She smiled softly. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm a bit pre-occupied. But no, I wasn't thinking about that, Ron. Just, exams and stuff."

Harry laughed. "Trust you, Hermione." She smiled along with him.

"Well, I told Ginny I'd help her look for a birthday present for Bill." Ron said. "You two want to come along for the ride?" 

"Yeah, might as well." Harry replied. He grinned at them both "I need to buy some Honeydukes supplies anyway." 

Ron laughed. "Yeah I know you do, I finished of your _supplies_ last night." He turned to Hermione, still grinning, as Harry attempted to hit him. "What about you, Hermione? Up for some shopping?" 

"No, I'm ok thanks. I just want to walk around, clear my head and stuff." Ron looked pensive for a few moments before nodding slowly.

"Alright then, if you want. Just yell if you need us." Hermione smiled.

"I will. See you both later!" 

She turned and walked away to the sounds of Harry's exasperated complaints.

"How much did you bloody well take? If you've laid one finger on my Chocolate Frogs I'll kill you, I swear it you bloody thief, I'll frigging kill you! I'll -"

"Harry, shut up you twat!" 

***~*~*~*~***

Draco rolled his eyes for the twentieth time in the last ten minutes. He was _really _regretting bringing Millicent along with him today – all she did was complain and whinge constantly; a drastic change to the fumbling girl in his dorm yesterday. God that sounded perverted. 

"Draco you're not talking much!" she exclaimed.

"Well maybe I don't want to talk to a jabbering idiot." He drawled in response.

"Oh, charming!" came her shriek. "Just bloody charming! _Lets ask Millicent out in a date and then ignore her!_"

"Oh for crying out loud! Would you give it a break?" He let his head fall into his hands in frustration. It was going to be a long day. 

***~*~*~*~***

Hermione was walking nowhere in particular. Honestly, she had no plan what so ever; she just knew she had to get away from her friends. It really wasn't anything personal; she just needed some time now.

Some time to think.

Long after her roommates had returned (rather sulkily) to their shared bedroom and fallen asleep, Hermione had laid in her bed silently, debating her decision. But darkness had came and gone and by morning, her decision had not changed.

She was going to keep Draco.

Providing he'd have her.

_God, I sound pathetic._ She thought glumly. Providing he'd have her? True, she'd been a_ bit _bitchy. Ok, a complete and utter bitch rivalling…well, she didn't know, some big bitchy person, but the point was, she didn't _have _to have him. She just _wanted_ to have him.

A lot.

"Oh shit." She murmured to herself, shaking her head out of her low esteem ways. It didn't help that much.

_I'll just have to do whatever it takes to get Draco back. _She thought.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The piercing voice rang through the cool air. "Are you saying I talk too much? Is that it?" 

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. Whoever that was, she was pretty sure she didn't want to walk into their rather heated conversation. She'd just turn and quietly walk aw-

"Maybe that's exactly it!"  _Then again, maybe I'll stay around._ Hermione found herself glued to the ground as she heard Draco's cold voice drift to her ears. _Oh shit. _She hadn't been planning on putting her plan into action _this _quickly. Who the hell was he talking to anyway?

_It's none of your business._ A voice in her head said. Damn those voices.

_I know that._ She reasoned. _I'm just curious._

_Curiosity killed the cat._ It sang back to her.

"Just as well I'm not a bloody cat then, isn't it?" she snapped into the crisp air. Her hand immediately flew to her mouth as her eyes enlarged considerably.

"Did you just hear something?" Draco asked.

"Oh stop you trying to change the subject, Mr. Malfoy!" The girl screamed. 

Hermione skulked back into the shadows. 

Shadows? 

Yes, shadows.

She looked up to see the notorious Shrieking Shack looming over her.  Apparently she had been walking somewhere, then.

"Bloody hell – I am not _changing the subject_ Millicent!"

Hermione froze, yet again. But that didn't matter because it was a metaphor, so she wasn't actually freezing…despite the weather.

_Did he just say Millicent?_ Hermione cocked her head to one side to get a better view of the angry couple. Sure enough, there was Draco casually reclining on a bench but with his old scowl back on his face. When she managed to pry her eyes away from the boy she had hated for so long, Hermione noticed that sure enough there was a girl walking purposefully around him in circles. 

Millicent. Hermione frowned. She'd forgotten about what she'd seen this morning in the hall. _Cat Girl_. She thought back to second year when the dark haired Slytherin had dared to challenge Hermione. Fair enough, it had been Duelling Club, but all the same – that girl was a menace to society. And then of course there had been the whole Chamber of Secrets lark, and Hermione had come up with the ingenious plan to use Polyjuice potion to trick Draco into confessing he was behind it all…the ingenious plan that had turned Hermione temporarily into a cat. Millicent's cat. Thinking back, Hermione, Slytherins and Polyjuice potion did not mix well together. She looked back to Draco; _they don't mix well at all._

"Oh you so are! Draco – why did you ask me on this date? It's _obvious_ you don't enjoy my company!"

"No, Millicent. I enjoy being in your presence; your wit, intelligence, charm and grace astound me."

There was silence for a few moments as Millicent considered her comeback to Draco's sharp words.

"I know you're taking the piss Malfoy."

"Oh good, your brain hasn't completely melted away under that mat of hair."

Hermione bit back laughter. _Good comeback_ she commended him. She became so engrossed in their constant bickering that she didn't notice the wind picking up. So engrossed that she didn't notice a tree creaking ominously nearby. So engrossed, in fact, that she only noticed said tree split seconds before it fell right on top of her.

***~*~*~*~***

"Shit!" 

"What the fuck?" Draco exclaimed as the all to familiar voice yelled out a mere few feet away from him. He and Millicent span round simultaneously and were made silent at the sight that greeted them. 

**---------*~*~*~*~*----------**

****

****

**A little note from me:** first of all, I am so sorry for not updating sooner! I honestly tried to! But school and stuff have been getting in my way and there was a lot more to this chapter but it was something like 20 pages long so I split it in half so it doesn't get confusing. Actually, the only reason I'm getting to do this now is because I'm off school sick! But there you go J And look – no songs in this, I couldn't think of any appropriate ones. On to the thanks…

**C**: I know what you mean! Loads of fics are like that. I haven't entirely decided where to go with this one yet, but I'm trying to make it kind of unpredictable and not typical.

**Lost Angel:** thanks! There's more interesting Hogsmeade stuff in the next chapter I think. Sorry I've taken so long posting this chapter – I feel really guilty to the dedicated reviewers like you and a few others! Good luck with your posting – my computer played up a lot over the summer, it's so annoying!

**Lynn:** wow you really know how to flatter someone! Thanks for putting me on your favourites! Yeah, I like 'Skater Boy' too, as you probably figured lol. I'm sorry this was so slow coming out – hope you liked this chapter too!

**Femme Fatale:** Hope you liked this one then!

**Margo:** thank you! 

**Louise: **hehe thanks hon! *Mwah!* emm…I'll see what I can do!

**Rina:** hehe – well, you got more then (eventually)! Well I hope this chapter made her decision clearer, at the end of the last chapter it was sort of subtly given in the song because I didn't want to give it all away lol.

**Cyril: **thank you! Yeah, you're now on the mailing list!

**Lily2000:** thank you! Yeah, course I can!

**Spike-lover: **hehe yeah, Draco seems to be getting his fair share of grief in this story! Thank you! Guess you'll have to wait and see…lol.

**Wicked – Willow: **thank you so much! I'll certainly e-mail you and thank you again for putting me on your favourites!!

Well, that's about it! Please R/R and get me up to at least 100 reviews! I'll update when I get 100! (Ooh that's evil isn't it?)

**DISCLAIMER: **ok in the last chapter I forgot to disclaim Skater Boy so anyone who thinks I own it, I don't, Avril Lavigne does! I don't own any Harry Potter either. *Sob sob*

I'M GOING TO SEE HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS IN 8 HOURS!!! Sorry, just had to say that! You've gotta love previews! Wow, 8 hours until Sean Biggerstaff…hehe.

IF ANYONE ELE WANTS ME TO E-MAIL THEM WHEN I POST A CHAPTER, JUST SAY IN A REVIEW OR/AND E-MAIL ME!

mystical xx


	17. Paranoia and Heated Arguments

Paranoia and Heated Arguments

Hermione jumped up from under the tree far too quickly for the liking of any of her internal organs, not to mention her breakfast. 

"Um…hi." She said, nodding vigorously and then stopping abruptly. She began to pick the various heaps of dirt off her robes as a distraction from the suspicious eyes of Draco and his slut.

_Ok, so I wanted to fix things _she thought bitterly _but not this soon! Jesus, and now I look like a right twat. "Hi"? What the fuck was that? Knowing my luck I probably fell right into a pile of Hippogriff shit._

She felt her shit-free ass.

Ok, well that's one good thing, I suppose. 

She chanced a look up from her dirty robes and saw Cat girl and _him_ looking at her with a mixture of scepticism, amusement, shock and anger.

_Oh great._

***~*~*~*~***

"Um…hi."  Draco stood staring at the fallen tree in amazement. He then realised the tree had spoke.

Oh.

_Something's not right about that…_ he thought. Then it hit him. Trees don't usually talk…

"Hermione?" Draco asked incredulously as he realised whom the voice belonged to. _At least, I think it's her_; he wasn't too sure, Hermione was usually immaculately clean and this person…wasn't.

Bearing in mind, they'd barely dodged a falling tree moments' prior.

She looked awkward. He felt awkward.

"Oh, fine!" Draco's head spun round at the sound of another voice, this time more brash and shrill.

His face immediately dropped to a scowl. No, not Potter.  Not even Weasley.

It was worse.

Millicent.

"What's fine, Millicent?" he drawled monotonously.

"I see what you're doing here!" she screeched, jabbing her hands in his and Hermione's directions. He looked back to Hermione for a split second, who was looking even more and more awkward.

"Well do tell. You must have some sort of sixth sense thing going on here because I certainly don't. A tree fell on her." He nodded in Hermione's direction. "What can you and Trelawney decipher from that?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Malfoy!" Millicent spat.

"I assure you, I don't."

"Emm…I'll just be going now then…" Hermione turned around and took a few precarious steps away from them, not wanting to draw to much attention to herself.

"You arranged this entire get-up to get rid of me! You asked me out just so you and you're _mudblood wench _could humiliate me and now you two are going to run off into the sunset and laugh about me."

Hermione stopped dead. _Say what?_

"What the hell?" Draco screeched in a voice unnaturally high.  

By this stage Millicent had gone a strange reddish colour and Hermione was really wanting to be anywhere else.

"I've figured it out. I'm right, aren't I?" she turned her menacing glare to Hermione. "You've been secretly dating Draco!"

Hermione's mouth dropped. _How much does she know?_

Draco grunted. "Bloody ironic." 

"Excuse me?" Millicent shrieked yet another octave higher. "Did you just call me '_Bloody Demonic'_?"

Hermione breathed out. _She obviously doesn't know that much then…_

"What are you on about Millicent?" Draco asked. "I did not mention the word demonic, or anything remotely related, in that sentence."

"Oh yes you did!" she yelled in response. She looked frantically between them. "It's a conspiracy against me!"

Hermione sighed – that girl needed help.

"Now you're just being paranoid." He drawled.

"Yeah, you'd like me to think that, wouldn't you?" Millicent shrieked at them. "You want me to think I'm paranoid and that I imagined this. Well I know I didn't! You planned this! It's all an elaborate plan to get shot of me!" 

"Well I bloody wish it was now!" Draco screamed at her. 

An eerie silence fell upon them. Hermione just froze – she wasn't quite sure what to do in a situation like this.  Draco looked on awkwardly – obviously he wasn't used to this either. Millicent was gob smacked at his latest remark, but quickly composed herself. _Much the way Neville did_ Hermione randomly reminisced. 

          "Ok then, Draco. I see your game." She bent down and picked up her discarded bag, which she casually slung over her shoulder. "I'll leave now and let you two be together. It was obviously the initial strategy anyway."

          She turned around and began to casually walk away.

          Draco looked after her with a blank expression. He glanced at Hermione and it seemed that all of a sudden realisation dawned on him. 

          "Millicent! Come back…" he smiled with a pained face. "…Sweetheart." 

          Hermione rolled her eyes. _Who's changed their tune then?_

          "No Draco, I won't." Millicent drawled in a very Draco-esque way.

          "But…But you can't leave me already!" 

          "I can and I am, Draco." 

          "But what about everything yesterday?" she stopped suddenly and slowly turned around to face him.

          Draco smiled, obviously thinking he had won her over.

          "Yes, Draco, what about yesterday?" she asked. Hermione was amazed at how quickly she had changed from blubbering paranoid child to this controlled and sophisticated person who had somehow gotten a reign on Draco Malfoy…wow, that was pretty impressive. 

          Millicent sighed.

          "Look, Draco. I have no idea what's going on in your head. I don't know, maybe you had some sort of disturbed childhood or whatever.  But to be honest, I don't really care." She stopped and looked at Hermione disgustedly. "Whatever, ok? But next time you two want to play some kind of sick sex game," Hermione blushed profusely, and even Draco seemed to get a little colour here. "Leave me out of it."

          With that, she turned away and walked silently down the hill to the main street.

          Draco looked silently after her for a few minutes, and Hermione couldn't read his expression. The obvious ones would have been sadness, lost, angry. Hell, even lust would have been understandable. But he looked…frustrated? Maybe even confused. Hermione shook her head. _No way_.

          "Well _thank you_ Granger." He spat, enunciating the sarcastic compliment. 

          "What the hell did I do?" came her screeching reply.

          "_What the hell did I do?" he mimicked in a much higher voice than hers and had no resemblance to it what so ever. "You lost me my bloody girlfriend, that's what!" _

          "Well you seemed to be doing fine by yourself when I came!" 

          "Oh did I? And just when exactly did you come then? And who in bloody hell gave you the right to eavesdrop on my personal conversations?" 

          It was really turning into a full-on screaming match now, with constant bickering between Hermione and Draco.

          "I wasn't 'eavesdropping' as you call it! I was … unknowingly overhearing."

          "Unknowingly over- what the fuck? At least _try to make up excuses!"_

          "I don't need to make up excuses – I was walking and you weren't exactly lowering your voices!"

          "Oh I'm sorry! I didn't know I had to speak in whispers just to keep prying mud – muggle-borns away."

          "Oh for God sake, Draco! I only overheard your girlfriend dumping you – it's nothing big!"

          "She did not dump me! And what do you mean its no big deal? You wouldn't want me listening to your conversations!"

          "No, but that doesn't usually matter to you! And she so did dump you!"

          "She didn't!"

          "Sure she didn't. You were just…brutally rejected."

          "Well I've never seen you being 'brutally rejected' as you put it."

          "Yes you have!"

          "No I haven't!" 

          "Yesterday! Today! Take your bloody pick, Malfoy!"

          "Aw, what is it this time? Does Scar-face not want to screw you, is that it? Or maybe it's Weasel! Ooh, you'd want to be careful there, Granger! Sucking face with a Weasel, you never know what you might catch!" 

          "Shut the fuck up about my friends!" Hermione lashed out to slap him, but he caught her arm easily in a firm grip.

          "Oh, so it's not them then, is it? Just as well, you'd have to be pretty desperate. I mean look at their records, especially Potty Boy; Cho Chang. Hmm, that list lasted long. The only reason she ever saw him was because her own boyfriend was dead – coincidence, I think not!"

          "You bastard!" she went to hit him again, but his grip tightened further.

          "So who could Mr Lover – Lover be? You say I witnessed it? Lets think…Oh I know! I saw the way you were looking at Ernie McMillan in Herbology when you both reached for the same Flesh Eating Slug; Oh be still my beating heart, romance or what? But wait, we're talking about break-ups aren't we…who was Hermione fighting with yesterday? Of course, in Arithmany – tch tch Hermione, some nasty words exchanged with our dear friend Hannah Abbot. Wow, Hermione, you kept _that one quiet! I never even suspected you were gay!"_

          "You know I'm not!"

          "Do I? Hmm…suppose not. There're too many rumours about you. Oh don't look so horror-stricken, Granger! As they say, it's always the quiet ones! Now, so it's not Potter, not Weasel – I'm going to guess it's none of the other Weasleys. Not Ernie, not Hannah…Dear God, it's bloody Creevy isn't it? Which one, older or younger? Not that it makes much difference, you child molester! Unless you've developed a soft spot for Long arse again… That is his name, right? Or maybe it's that Ravenclaw? Oh what's his name? Tom? Jon? Come on Hermione, help me, I want to know! Maybe it's Sean, come to think of it. Or then again, what about that one in- "

            "It's you!" She screamed. "It's you, it's you, it's God damned you!"

**A little note from me:** you liked? I split this in half because it was about 20 pages long but look on the bright side; the next chapter is practically finished! I'll try to post it on Sunday night. Please tell me what you think of this chapter…personally I think it's a funny one J

Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers! 20 reviews for 1 chapter – wow!

**Neo: **lol ok here it is!

**ChrystallineLily: **thank you and yes!

**Sucker For Romance: **thank you!

**Allee Kat: **lol thank you! Yep I'll email you and I hope you enjoy CoS!

**Femme Fatale: **Thanks I'm much better! Hmm I could just let them kiss and make up…but that's no fun! Mwahaha lol sorry! I haven't finished it yet so I don't know what's coming up…

**Dawniky: **thank you!

**Yotama: **hey love! Lol Tama, you of all people should know I won't do the predictable! Btw, I got my photos developed…hehe! 

**TeamRocket Sapphire: **Thank you so much!!!! I'm glad your not confused by my plot twists…cause I kind of am! Lol thank you!

**SpACi TrACy: **Thank you – I like the song bits as well, makes it a little different I like to think!

**LostAngel: **it's finally here! Yeah I hate it when a fic is abandoned…but this one won't be!

**Chrissy: **thank you! But I can't find your email address!!

**Lynnie: **lol that must've taken a while! Thank you!

**Dracoluva99: **thank you!!!!

**C: **aww you're so sweet! Lol sure, ill email you!

**Courtney: **Thank you so much – here's 17 and 18 shouldn't be long after!

**Hero: **lol you're vicious! Hehe thanks for reviewing!

**Tigris: **…u scare me…. in a good way though lol. Yep I'll email you.

**Malfoy is a Bombastic Sex God: **have to say, I'm loving the pen name! Thanks and here's 17 if you haven't keeled over already lol. 

**Oliverwoodsgirl: **thank you!

**Zephyr: **thanks and yes!

**Another note: **Well, I told you all I was going to see CoS's in my last update and I can safely say it is better than the first movie! Now, I always thought Sean Biggerstaff ruled and couldn't actually see what people were going on about Tom Felton but wow I do now!! So nice!! Anyway, I shall go now! 

_Please R/R and leave your email address if you want an update!_


	18. Forget I Said Anything

**Forget I said anything**

Draco's cocky smirk instantly disappeared and was replaced by one of pure shock.

          "Me?" he whispered.

          "Yes, you!" Tears started to scratch at her eyes, threatening to spill over and multiply her humiliation. Already she could feel her face reddening. "You saw me being _brutally rejected when you left me in that corridor last night. You saw it again when you were all over that…that slut this morning in the Great Hall! You saw it all! You made it all! I don't want to love you, Malfoy, but I don't get a bloody choice!"_

          She turned her back on his dumbstruck expression and wiped away the small tears that had managed to trickle from her bloodshot eyes.

          "I…I didn't know." She heard him say. He'd moved. It sounded like he was sitting back down on the bench.

          "Yeah, well, you do now." She told the clouds. They answered only with a small drizzle of rain. 

          "Hermione…I will never understand you. You keep changing. One minute you're telling me you love me, the next you're making up rape stories and getting my head bashed in. What is happening in that twisted mind of yours?"

          "I…I'm sorry." She turned to face him and walked over to the bench, sitting at the opposite end from him. She let her head hang, looking at her worn shoes. "You scared me. Or maybe I scared me. I don't know. And then I hated you. I hated you for loving me. I wanted out. But it was only last night after you…after what happened, I realised how much I like you."

She rolled her eyes. "God I sound cheesy. Look, Draco; forget I said anything." She got up to leave when she felt Draco's hand grasp her arm.

          "No." She turned to face him and he dropped her arm, looking in the opposite direction again. He carried on in a softer tone. "No. You can't go. I'm sick of you doing that." 

          She sat down again, careful not to sit too close to him. "What do you mean?"

          "You always do that. That…that first day, in the corridor, you said you loved me and then walked off.  Then you start talking to your little _Gryffindor comrades_…I think we all know what happened after that." Hermione looked away in disgrace. He was referring to when she had unintentionally accused him of rape…let's face it, not a lot else had happened that didn't trace back to that one lie.

          "Draco…I'm sorry. Ok? I wish there was some way I could show you that I am but I don't know what to do." Hermione pleaded.  "I've never been in this situation before, and I've never fucked any situation up this badly!"

          "Including that troll in first year?" he whispered, standing up and smiling softly at her. Hermione smiled sceptically, slightly blushing.

          "Including that troll in first year." She answered.

          "Now, you have to admit," he laughed. "You fucked that one up pretty badly."

          Hermione laughed quietly and stood up also, facing the opposite direction. "Yeah I guess I kind of did."

          "I swear McGonagall gave you funny looks for a week after!" he gasped. They were both laughing heavily now, their raucous laughter seeming wrong in the silence that had surrounded them moments before.

          "I don't think I'll ever forget that time when- " Hermione was caught off mid-sentence as she and Draco looked up at the same time and their eyes locked, deep hazel into swirling grey.

          The laughter died immediately. The two teenagers held their gaze steadily until Draco coughed awkwardly and looked away. Hermione looked down at the rain-dampened grass beneath her feet.  _There'll always be tension between us_ she thought bitterly. _We can't forget everything._

"Well, Granger; we're not first year anymore. Things won't work out ok…and Potter, no matter how hard he tries, cannot save _this_ day." He sat on the back of the bench and looked out over the village. Hermione slumped down at the opposite foot of the bench, hoping her dark cloak would disguise any grass stains she may adopt.  They could hear the shouts from the visitors and inhabitants of the wizarding village. A loud explosion erupted from the general direction of _Zonko, Weasley and Jordan_, formerly humbly known as _Zonko's Joke Shop_. Things had undeniably changed in the past few years. Hermione looked over to Draco, who still had his back to her. _Thing is though, did they change for good?_

"Draco?" She whispered. He turned his head slowly to face her, but didn't look at her. Instead he cast his eyes down to the wood of the bench.

"Yeah?" he said in a tone so soft she didn't think a Malfoy could ever have.

"Last…last night, in that corridor...if I hadn't said that I loved…I mean, if I hadn't said what I did…"

Hermione felt awkward. She looked down and let her fingers play with blades of grass. She could feel Draco's eyes turn to her, summing her up.

"Go on." He encouraged.

"Would you…would you have…you know…raped me?" Draco sighed and rubbed his eyes, looking back out over the village.

"I don't know." He said after several minutes, sounding almost wistful. "I guess not."

Hermione nodded slowly, glad she couldn't see his face as she fought to keep tears away. "Ok. I guess we'll never know." 

"Yeah." Silence returned, the only sound being the harsh whistle of wind.

"Hermione?" Hermione look up to show she was listening. "If…if Weasley and Potter had tried to come after me again, would you have stopped them?"

Hermione swallowed a lump in her throat. _Yes. Say yes, damn you. _She knew she should say yes. She _wanted _to say yes. But if she was being completely honest, would she?

"I guess I don't know either."

"Ok." 

The daunting silence returned, except this time it was brief. Only a few minutes later did they hear the all too familiar crackle of Parvati's radio being tuned. 

Draco and Hermione looked at each other in shock. They couldn't be seen together – Gryffindor and Slytherin. Not now anyway. _And not ever_ Hermione reprimanded herself.

"Hermione? Hermione, are you up here?" Parvati's voice wailed over the noise. 

Hermione looked around frantically. Parvati would reach them any second. Draco took this as his cue and ran to the side of the derelict building, hiding in the shadows just as Hermione had done earlier.

"Hermione!" 

"I'm here, Parvati!" She waved to the somewhat distressed girl when she was sure Draco was hidden. "Parvati, whatever's wrong?"

Parvati walked over to the bench and fell into the seat, letting tears come down her face freely.

"Oh, Hermione." She sighed, choking on a sob. "It's Lavender! We had a fight over Dean bloody Thomas and now we're not talking, and Padma's hanging out with all her Hufflepuff friends that I don't know. You're the only person I can talk to now, 'Mione!" 

"It's ok." Hermione said, trying to sound soothing. She sat down beside the distraught girl and put a comforting arm round her shoulder. "I don't mind. Do you want to talk?"

Parvati sniffed. "I'd rather just get it sorted out in my own head first, if that's ok." Hermione nodded in agreement. "It's just that I didn't want to be alone." 

She started fiddling with the tuner on her radio again before throwing it down on the ground in a temper. "Stupid fucking thing! I hate it! And I hate her! What kind of a bloody name is Lavender anyway? And I hate him! Bloody Dean, coming between me and Lav!" Hermione suppressed the voice inside her screaming '_Lav and I'_. 

"Don't worry. You'll work it out." Hermione reassured her. "You always do." She bent down and picked up the radio to try to tune it for her upset friend. Parvati laid her head on Hermione's shoulder as the machine was finally tuned. 
    
    _'If I give up on you, I give up on me_
    
    _If we fight what's true, will we ever be?_
    
    _Even God himself, and the faith I knew_
    
    _Shouldn't hold me back, shouldn't keep me from you'_
    
                Draco leaned against the side of the wall, sensing that this 'girly moment' could take significantly longer than a moment. He rolled his head over to look at Hermione. She was comforting Parvati. He smiled. She had so many sides.
    
    So many sides he'd never knew she had. 
    
    _'Like the side that accuses me off rape.' _He thought petulantly. _'And then she comes over all loved-up…what the hell is going on in her head?'_ The music played on softly against the chorus of sobs and soothing noises.
    
    _'Tease me, by holding out your hand._
    
    _Then leave me, or take me as I am'_
    
                Hermione held Parvati in her arms, slowly rocking back and forth. She wondered if Draco was still there. 
    
                Waiting.
    
                Watching.
    
                _'Probably not.' _She thought solemnly. _'He probably doesn't care…I've missed the only chance I'll ever get o be with him.' _
    
                "I hate them!" Hermione looked down startled. She'd become so accustomed to the rhythmical sound of Parvati's crying that she'd almost forgotten she could speak. She patted her on her shoulder and willed Parvati's head back down onto her shoulder. As selfish as it was, she needed time to think. 
    
                _'It's better this way.'_ She resolved._ 'We couldn't work…A Gryffindor and a Slytherin…it's against every Hogwarts unwritten law.'_
    
                She let a silent tear slip from her own eyes. She knew it couldn't happen. She'd blown her chances. 
    
                And anyway, even if they had a chance, they would be shunned like a leper. No; worse than a leper. People just wouldn't understand their situation. Hermione wasn't the type to be concerned about material things or appearances, but she didn't want to lose her friends.  For years they had been the only thing keeping her sane, especially at that time in fifth year when her beloved school marks had started to drop. She would never turn her back on them.
    
                Not for anything.
    
                Not even for love.
    
    _'And live our lives, _
    
    _Stigmatised._
    
    _I can feel the blood rushing through my veins_
    
    _When I hear your voice, driving me insane._
    
    _Hour after hour,_
    
    _Day after day;_
    
    _Every lonely night that I sit and pray'_
    
                The only thing she could do was admire him from afar.
    
                It was the only practical thing to do. Practical Hermione.
    
    *~*~*~*~*
    
                Could it work? He knew she didn't care about appearance…the only thing really stopping her from going out with him was her friends. Draco didn't know a lot about friendship, but surely friends were supposed to back up whatever you do? And even if they didn't, were they really friends? 
    
                Most importantly, would she want to risk it all for him?
    
    _'We live our lives on different sides,_
    
    _But we keep together you and I._
    
    _Just live our lives, _
    
    _Stigmatised'_
    
                It could happen. Yes, it would take work. But Draco _knew _they could do it. What did he have to lose? His friends were only acting up to the traditional house rivalry – deep down, they knew it was bollocks. They could get over Hermione. They would have to. It wasn't as if he was becoming best friends with Potter. 
    
                Right on cue, the wounds on his torso throbbed in agony. _'Not a chance in hell will Potter and I ever be remotely friendly.'_
    
                But somehow, after what she'd just said, the injuries he'd suffered seemed insignificant. If there was a chance she could love him, even a little chance, then maybe it was worth it. Just maybe.
    
    _'We'll live our lives, _
    
    _We'll take the punches every day._
    
    _We'll live our lives_
    
    _ I know we're gonna find our way'_
    
                Hermione sighed quietly. _'To hell with this.'_ She thought. Her friends would just have to accept her and Draco. If there ever was a 'her and Draco', that was. As much as she loved her friends, she knew that she'd hate herself if she didn't see what happened with Draco. 
    
                And she was fully aware at how melodramatic that sounded. 
    
                But life deserved a little over-reaction sometimes.
    
    _'I believe in you, even if no one understands._
    
    _I believe in you, and I don't really give a damn_
    
    _If we're stigmatised._
    
    _We live our lives on different sides,_
    
    _But we keep together you and I._
    
    _We live our lives on different sides'_
    
                But did he want her to? That was the only thing going through Draco's head. After all that shit she'd put him through, did he want to risk _himself_? She wasn't the girl he'd thought she was. If she could lie to her friends like that, how could he ever trust her? 
    
                Maybe it was best if they just lived their lives separately, before any of this crap got into the hands of the Gossip Mongers of Hogwarts. Just forget this entire episode in their lives and moved on. Maybe that was best.
    
    _'We're gonna live our lives,_
    
    _Gotta live our lives'_
    
                Hermione's head snapped up as she heard an approaching noise. Draco. Draco was walking over. She smiled gently. What was going to happen? It could only mean two things. The first option was the preferable one. Maybe he was coming over in some mad, spontaneous romantic gesture. Maybe he'd sweep her up in front of an amazed Parvati, hold her in his arms and tell her he loved her, just like that day outside the common room. Maybe she'd get another chance to look into those mesmerising eyes, see those perfect lips…
    
                Draco stopped in front of her. Her heart skipped a beat. Or a dozen beats.
    
                He looked her in the eyes.
    
                And shook his head.
    
                "Goodbye Hermione." 
    
                Hermione's eyes followed his retreating back until he was completely out of sight. Parvati was still crying. She had been oblivious to anything that had just happened. She had been oblivious to the sound of Hermione's heart breaking into a million pieces. 
    
                For he had chosen the second option, and she knew it.
    
    _'Gonna live our lives, _
    
    _Stigmatised'_
    
    ***~*~*~*~***
    
    **A little note from me:** well I hope you all liked that one too! Personally I didn't think it was that great – a little too fluffy for my liking. But it had to be done! Ok I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of reviews for chapter 17 – thank you all so much!
    
    **Zephyr: **wow that was quick! Hmm I suppose this wasn't a big enough reaction for Draco…damn it! Hehe you're nearly as random as me!
    
    **bunnygurl: **thank you!
    
    **C: **thanks for the email! Lol you have a knack for this…it's all I'm saying! Saying that, I don't know what's going to happen – I hadn't anticipated the fake rape storyline at all so you never know!
    
    **oliverwoodsgirl: **lol yea he is pretty dense! And male! Lol thanks!
    
    **Maddy: **thanks! Emm I update when I can – during holidays etc I try to be quick but during school term it can be up to a month, though I try to get chapters out quicker. Haven't decided when they will find out, but lets face it, they're gonna have to sometime! Glad you liked the story so far!
    
    **greenfairie: **thank you! Ok please don't die a painful death on my lack of writing!! Lol I know – Draco!!!!
    
    **CrystallineLily: **hehe your little dialogue actually made me laugh out loud – you've captured my personality perfectly! 
    
    **Silverwing: **thanks!
    
    **DrAcOlUvA99: **lol thank you and yeah I'll email you. Hehe it was bloody brilliant was it?? (Though I'm not from England lol)
    
    **riddle: **thanks for reviewing! Yeah that seems to be the general consensus about Hermione now…whoops. 
    
    **flutter: **hehe hope u found your heart…thanks for r/r!
    
    **Ashley: **ok – thanks!
    
    **don't know me: **thank you and sorry for the wait!
    
    **allee kat: **thanks! Yeah CoS is good though I've only seen it once!! Tom Felton…wow…
    
    **honeygurl: **yeah it is pretty twisted!! Um…why are you bumping?? 
    
    **Kim Malfoy: **thanks!
    
    **Femme Fatale: **hehe I feel really guilty 'cos you've been asking for ages! But I'm not sure how to fit them in!!! I'll try for future chapters though!
    
    **(No name): **well u got one!
    
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    **voidsenshi: **lol people are really into the mini script thing!! Have to say yours was very original though! Well, I hope you're alive enough to read this one!
    
    **Nikky: **thank you!! Omg, JKR?! Reaaaally don't think I'm at her standard but thank you anyway!
    
    **Courtney: **thank you – hope you liked this!
    
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    **HarryPotterExpert: **thanks! I know – Tom and Sean!!
    
    **tigris: **thanks – what'd you think of this reaction?
    
    **amy: **sorry I was so slow!!
    
    **caitie: **thanks!!
    
    **RapPrincess: **thanks! Quite concerned by the number of dying reviewers…
    
    **ramses: **thank you!
    
    **LostAngel: **thanks!!!!! I'm not happy with this chapter but it kind of had to be done.
    
    Thank you everyone who reviewed and please keep up the brilliant work!! 
    
    **DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All Harry Potter stuff is JKR's property and the song "Stigmatised" is by The Calling (It helps to listen to that song during that part of the chapter because you get the feel of the atmosphere…that and it's a really sweet song!) 
    
    _Please review and leave your email address if you want me to send you an update email. In the review though please say if you want me to email you or not...I'm a bit slow like that and don't want to be emailing people who don't want to be mailed! Thank you!_
    
    mystical xx
    
        ****


	19. It Never Happened

It Never Happened

"He said something to her." Ron muttered angrily to Harry. Hermione was walking a few paces ahead of them up to the school. She had barely uttered two words to anyone since they'd found her holding a crying Parvati outside the Shrieking Shack. She'd had a blank expression on her face and tears trickled down her cheeks slowly. Ron had come to the obvious conclusion: Draco.

"You don't know that for certain, Ron." Harry whispered.

"Don't go defending him, Harry. You know what the Malfoy's are like, the conniving little bastards." Harry was silent. "You're not actually sticking up for him, are you?"

"No, 'course not." Harry said defensively. "I'm just saying that we don't know what happened. I mean, Parvati was there too."

"The sad gimp probably said something to her as well." Ron shook his head. "That guy has no shame. He probably followed Hermione up there 'cause he was too cowardly to come near her when we were with her."

"Yeah." Harry said, nodding. "That's it exactly. Sad gimp."

***~*~*~*~***

Hermione was walking a few steps in front of Harry and Ron. She could hear them whispering about her, though what they were saying wasn't clear at all. Probably plotting something for Draco. She smiled. They were sweet, really, though it was so twisted. She remembered when this had all started off; that very first day in the corridor. She thought he was playing a prank…how wrong had she been? 

As she entered the school she quickly got lost in the swarming masses of teenagers stampeding to and from the dinning hall. She chanced a look behind her and saw that Harry and Ron had turned into the hall, engrossed in their conversation. She quickly snuck upstairs to her sanctuary – the library.

***~*~*~*~***

Draco scanned the bookshelves before finally deciding on '_A guide to the Ancient Dark Arts'_. It was censored, of course, not like the books at home. But in this school if you wanted the truth, you had to go to the Restricted Section of the library. For the most time, the professors were happy to sugar coat the wizarding world. Although after today's events so far, he had a suspicion he would not be able to concentrate on reading.

He leant back in a chair, enjoying the silence of the library. He rarely came here; it was too full of chattering first years and last-minute homeworks. But while everyone was spending their Saturday afternoons being as far away from any sort of books the library was usually free. The only other people he knew of tempted to use it on a Saturday were Percy Weasley and Hermione Granger, and seeing as one had left school many years ago and the other was still in Hogsmeade, it seemed unlikely either would show up.

Or then again maybe he was wrong…

"What the hell do you want?"

"Don't be such an immature child, Malfoy. I have urgent news for Madam Pince. Do you know where she is?"

"No I bloody well don't. Now fuck off, Percival."

Percy spun on his heel and walked towards the exit, slamming the door in the most dignified manner he could muster. Draco rolled his eyes and flicked open his book, only to be interrupted moments later by the door creaking open again.

"Piss off Percy."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Draco, but last time I checked I wasn't Percy."

Draco's head snapped up.

"Hermione." He breathed.

***~*~*~*~**

"Hermione." Draco breathed. 

"The one and only." She retorted, cocking an eyebrow. He swallowed and looked away. Hermione sighed. "We need to talk."

"You're probably right." He nodded. He gestured to a chair on the opposite side of the table. 

She sat down on the chair, just staring at him for a few minutes, searching his eyes. Draco began to squirm uncomfortably. He cleared his throat and began to talk.

"So, are you just gonna sit there or-"

"What's going on?" She interrupted. 

"What do you mean?" he asked, taken aback.

"I thought…I thought today, outside the Shrieking Shack…well, I thought we had sorted stuff out."  

Draco was silent. He looked down at the table, tracing the grains of wood with his finger. "You were wrong." He finally said.

"How come?" she asked, putting her hand over his to attract his attention away from the wood.

            "You just don't get it, do you?" He spat. She was shocked at his sudden change of mood. "When you thought _we_ were sorting things out, it was _you _sorting it out. It's always you. You don't seem to understand that I'm risking my reputation for you. If my father found out about our conversations…"

          "Is that all you care about? Saving your own skin?" She retorted.

          "And you're telling me that you're concerned about my skin?" Hermione was silent. "Didn't think so." He said, leaning back and crossing his arms.

          "So what are we going to do?" she whispered after a while.

          "I don't know…what do you think?" 

          "I think we both know what we have to do." She said, looking away.  Draco nodded. 

          "Pretend it never happened." He said. He stood up. "Sorry it had to end like this…but it's for the best."

          "Yeah." She said, her face like stone. "It's for the best."

          "See you around, Granger."

          "Bye, Malfoy."

          "Yeah…Bye." Draco turned and walked towards the door, pulling it open and storming out into the school to resume his _evil-bastard_ façade once again, leaving Hermione alone amongst the bookshelves.

          Almost.

          "You two faced cow." 

***~*~*~*~***

          "Ginny! What the hell are you doing here?" Hermione exclaimed.

          "Shut the hell up, Hermione. What the hell was Malfoy doing here?" 

          "Why would I know?" She spat.

          "Well you were talking to him!" She laughed harshly. "I don't know why I'm asking; it's pretty obvious from your conversation."

          "You were eavesdropping?" she asked incredoulsly. 

          "No…I just overheard." Hermione raised an eyebrow. Ginny crossed her arms defensively. "This isn't about me, Hermione. What the hell is going on? Do you know Ron has been out of his head worrying about you?"

          "I know…I know. It wasn't intentional!" Ginny looked at Hermione, telling her that her explanation was in no way good enough. "But I never meant for it all to get so out of hand and now everything is so fucked…"

          "Neville." Ginny whispered.

          "What?" Hermione asked, sniffing. She realised she'd started crying again. 

          "Neville…that stuff you said to me before, about what you should do when this someone liked you and you thought you liked them back…it wasn't Neville, was it?" Hermione looked up at Ginny with pleading eyes. Ginny shook her head.

          "I can't believe you lied to me!" she exclaimed.

          "How the hell was I supposed to tell you?" Hermione snapped back. "Was I supposed to sit you down and say 'Hey, listen Gin; there's a chance I love Draco Malfoy. You want to play Chess?' Face it, Ginny. You would not have put an arm round me and reassured me you'd be there for me." 

          "You love him?" Ginny asked abstractly. "You love that sick, pathetic little excuse-"

          "I said there's a chance! Listen, I don't love him." Hermione retorted, although she had a nagging feeling she was telling herself more than Ginny. 

          "Are you sure?" Hermione hesitated.

          "Yes."

          "And you won't do anything?"

          "What do you mean?"

          "You won't go pleading with him to take you back?"

          "Ginny I have more fucking self-respect than that, thank you." Hermione fumed.  "And for your information, we were never together. Not properly. So there's nothing there to take back!"

"Hermione…promise me." She said slowly. "Promise me that there is nothing and never will be anything between you and Draco Malfoy."

"Why? Why do you care Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"Because I don't want to see you hurt, even though you deserve it now. But even more so, I don't want you to hurt Ron and Harry anymore than they already have been by your lies. Now, promise me."

Hermione looked crestfallen for a moment at Ginny's words.  She looked up at Ginny and took her hand in her own. 

"I promise you."

***~*~*~*~***

**A little note from me: **I am so sorry everyone! This chapter is way too late, I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting! Thanks for all the lovely reviews – love you all! Happy New Year!!! (by the way, don't own anything I just wrote about.)

 **Allee Kat, Courtney, Danielle, Eternal Queen, Louise, Libby, Emily, lonely whisperz, Shannon, Amora - Ryuko, Leika Senara, AliChristy, WatMyHeartDesires**: thank you all so much for your reviews and all the nice stuff you said!! You made me all happy lol.

**Crystalline Lily**: Hmm it wasn't that much happier really, was it? Hehe sorry! No it's not even nearly the end!

**Zephyr**: They probably will find out, yes. Mainly because I can't see how they couldn't if they live with the girl 24/7 but I can assure you there will be fireworks when they do find out, how could there not be – this is me! Lol. I know what you mean – last chapter was really off, I think this one is too. I think that if I ever had 'a touch' I'm quickly losing it…eek!

**Tigris, the gothic elf of mirkwood forest: **hey – I like the name! Hehe yeah it was a bit fluffy. Fluff can be good though, sometimes. In small doses. Lol. Hmm, slash? It's an idea…with who though?

**angelfire294**: sucked ass? Really? Ok, thanks for your view!

**Silverwing**: oh…I'm guessing you didn't really like this chapter then? Lol sorry – but the story's not over yet!

**C**: thank you! I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting! Yeah I know, she's annoying me too and the twisted thing is that if it wasn't for me she wouldn't me annoying me at all…oh God it's twisted! Lol think you're the only person who backed that ending!

Oliverwoodsgirl and greenfairie: thanks! Yeah, sorry about that lines thing – I don't know what's going wrong! It happens with loads of my fics now. 

**Stephanie**:hehe glad you liked! Nope, it's not the end! I don't think we're near the end at all.

Tom Felton's babe: thanks! Hmm he might get scared if she did lol. It'd be fun to write though! Femme Fatale: Yeah, I know…I was almost crying writing it lol. 

**Caitie**: The Funny Farm, huh? Cool – send me a postcard! Lol, yeah, Fluff…lots of it. Suffocating amounts. Lol, ach but fluff is nice J Hmm I've read loads of really good short fluffy fics but one that sticks out in my mind is "Honestly" by VanillaPuF, who's on my Favourite Author's list. It's short and sweet and laugh out loud funny and fluff galore – lol, just what you seem to  like! Thanks for reading this one – please keep it up! 

**ChaoticSlytherin**: thanks for all your suggestions! Only thing is, I've already done PolyJuice to get the truth so if I did a Truth Potion it would kind of like going over old ground. And they both sort of know how they feel, they're just to stubborn really lol. But please keep up with the ideas and I'll email you for inspiration if I run out!! 

**RadcliffeChick: **Thank you so much! I was thinking along the lines of something like that…hmm we'll have to wait and see!

**Harry Potter Expert**: I know, it's much better with a cliffhanger! Lol thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Yotama**: Hey! Yeah I love it so much – I finally got the album! You know me – am I EVER likely to finish a story quickly?!  Hehe – revel in depression. That's a nice phrase actually!

**Random who didn't leave their name:** Thanks, I love you too.

**lilmissfrenchy: **Hey! Well, I've been talking to you so you kind of know it's not the end but I'll just write this here anyway! 

**Voidsenshi: **lol I love your animated reviews!! 

**M S Fisher: **thank you so much for your detailed review! I've changed the summary, I was kind of thinking it was a bad summary but wasn't sure how to change it but your opinion made me decide to change it. In regards of the chapter length, yeah the first chapter was probably the shortest chapter I have ever written in my life. I suppose it wasn't really a chapter, more of an introduction and I didn't want to drag it out so that the point got lost. Thanks for reviewing this and one of my others!

**innocent rambler**: lol it's ok, I forgive you! Thank you!

**LostAngel**: My faithful reviewer! Lol, Yeah fluff can be good! I recommend you go read the fic I suggested to **Caitie **– it's really good for fluff! But it's well written fluff! Thanks for reading and reviewing, please keep up the great work and I hope you liked this one too!

**Important notice:** Ok so you might have noticed that at the end of the last chapter the document was kind of distorted and one paragraph would just be changed to one big line. This is happening with loads of the things I upload so if anyone knows how to stop it can you please tell me how? Thanken you! 


	20. Invincible Radios and 'War and Peace'

**Invincible Radios and 'War and Peace'**

Draco let his head fall back on the leather armchair. He sighed dramatically. Today had been one fucked day. He'd gone through so many emotions that he didn't even know existed.  He just wanted to close his eyes and let the days events slip away into oblivion, but try as he may, his mind was plagued with thoughts of Hermione and their discussion prior. He didn't know how everything had got so distorted. A few weeks ago he had been living in ignorant bliss and now here he was, not knowing how to feel about the one girl he didn't want to have any feelings for. 

Life was fairly shitty.

He was suddenly aware of raucous laughter echoing off the walls and he looked around just as several Slytherins climbed into the chic common room.

"Holy Crap, did you see her face?" one of the boys asked. Draco recognised him to be a third or fourth year, but he couldn't put a name to the face. 

"Yes I certainly did!" an older voice replied with mirth. "Gentlemen, I am officially a genius!" Draco looked up at the speaker and rolled his eyes. _Pretentious dick_.

"And why, pray tell, are you a genius, Zambini?" He drawled monotonously.

"Because, Draco," he replied arrogantly, swanning over to drop into the leather armchair facing Draco. "I managed to pry this piece of crap out of that bloody Gryffindor's hands." He presented an odd shaped box and flicked a switch on it.

Parvati's radio.

" I swear to Merlin, that damn thing's following me." Draco muttered. 

"What exactly does it do?"

"It plays music, Blaise." Draco answered disdainfully, looking with disgust at the boy as he turned the object over and shook it a few times. "Muggle crap, but music all the same."

"Hmm…bored with it now anyway." He said, flinging it onto the green leather couch behind him. "Really just wanted to annoy that stuck-up cow…God, Malfoy, you should've seen her face! She looked really smug first of all when she saw us but then when we all came over to her she looked so bloody scared – seriously, I was finding it hard to keep a straight face! And she starting threatening us with all this bullshit so I just said '_listen, bitch, I don't fucking care what the hell you -_"

"Are you done?" Draco asked, completely uninterested.

"But don't you want to hear the rest of -"

"No."

"But Malfoy -"

"No."

"But -"

"No."

"It's really -"

"Fuck off Zambini."

"Draco, I -"

"Fuck off now, please."

"Aw come on, I -"

"Did you not here me?" Draco yelled, losing his temper. "Fuck off!"

Blaise crossed his arms and scowled. "Fine." He said, standing up. "Bloody wanker."

Draco rolled his eyes. 

"Hey!" he yelled after him. "Turn that frigging radio off!" 

"You do it if your that fucking bothered." One very pissed off Blaise Zambini hollered back. Draco sighed and eyed the radio. '_It's so far away…fuck my head hurts.'_ All he wanted to do was get a bit of fucking sleep.

_…Well he can't sleep at night, and he can't do what's right, and it's all because she came into his life, it's a deep obsession taking up his time…_

Draco looked at it in amazement.

That damn gadget was out to haunt him. Maybe it was just paranoia, but it seemed that every single song he heard out of that thing related somehow to Hermione. Every thought he had traced back to her…this entire school just reeked of her. Everywhere he looked, she was there.

Why the hell had he told her to stay away? Now he knew how she felt – sort of – what was standing in their way? _Pride_ he thought sullenly. Fucking pride. Fucking pride was the only thing stopping them. But his pride was worth a lot – if he lost that, what would he have? '_Hermione'_ sang the inner voice. He clenched his teeth. He didn't need her. It was a passing phase. In fact…it wasn't even passing, it had _passed. _He was over her.

_…She's all that he wants…all that he needs…everything he just won't believe…take away his doubt…then she can see what he's been dying to say…_

            He didn't need her – he had girls falling over him. Millicent, for example. Well…maybe not her anymore. But loads of the Slytherin girls were all over him. He could have any girl he wanted. _Except Hermione_. Damn that bloody voice. He could have Hermione – he just didn't want to. Bloody Mudblood. She was just a stupid child, playing games. He had just been humouring her. 

            Really. 

_…And he must confess all the impure thoughts of his beautiful temptress…_

Draco seethed at the musical what's-it. If its owner hadn't been the next best thing to a squib, he would have thought it had been spelled. Maybe it was just psychic…or maybe he was just paranoid. Whatever it was, he didn't like it. Bloody muggle contraption. 

            He jumped up in a fit of anger and grabbed the radio. Bounding up the stairs out of the common room, he cursed the damned appliance with every offensive word he knew, which was quite an extensive list. He threw the door leading to the rest of Hogwarts open and hurled the machine into the corridor. It merely slid along the polished floor, still singing contently. Draco gawped at it in irritated awe. '_It won't die'_ he thought. It was the tale of the invincible radio…

He narrowed his eyes and swore under his breath, turning round and thumping back down the stairs to the now quiet Slytherin common room. 

_…So wipe that smile of your face before it gets too late, there's only so much time for you to make up your mind…_

***~*~*~*~***

            Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room, legs curled under her in front of the blazing fire, _'War and Peace_' in her hands. She could feel Ginny boring holes into her and she couldn't help but feeling a little uncomfortable under her gaze. She was extremely embarrassed over what had happened earlier.  Why did Ginny, of all people, have to hear her and Draco's conversation? And now her stomach just felt like lead…she had no chance. She had promised Ginny nothing would ever happen with Draco. And it wouldn't. It couldn't. She hadn't even planned to but now that she had promised Ginny, it just seemed so much more real. More definite. Final.

_ …I think I've already lost you, I think you're already gone. I think I'm finally scared now, you think I'm weak but I think you're wrong…_

"Dean!" somebody screamed.            Hermione looked over to the portrait door. Dean Thomas was standing there with Parvati's radio looking extremely embarrassed. Hermione soon realised why – Parvati was hugging him a little _too_ tightly. She heard Seamus snigger nearby. 

"Looks like you found a friend 'der, Deanie." He laughed, winking. Dean scowled back at his Irish friend.

"Where did you find it Dean?" Parvati asked, choosing to ignore Seamus's suggestive comment. 

"Lying in a corridor. Sure you didn't drop it, Parv'?" he asked, sitting down on a sofa.

"No! I'm telling you! Blaise and a load of other stupid Slytherins took it and -"

            "Ok, ok. I believe you!" Dean said, seeing she was getting very stressed about the issue. Parvati smiled.

            "Thanks for returning it, Dean…" she sang, sitting on the edge of his armchair. 

            "Oh yeah," Seamus piped up. "How exactly are you going to thank him, then?"

            "Seamus! I can't believe you!" Dean stood up quickly, blushing profusely. He stormed up the boys staircase. 

            "Dean - wait! I'll come with you!" Parvati called after him.

            "Good idea." Seamus nodded. "There's young childer' in the room. Can't have any of that sort of hanky panky pre-watershed."  

            "Shut up, Seamus!" Parvati yelled from the foot of the staircase. Seamus wolf-whistled his reply. Parvati turned a deep crimson and leapt up the stairs. Seamus chucked merrily. 

"Ah I'll never get tired of that." He said to no one in particular. He turned around and smiled at Hermione. "All right, Hermione! Didn't see ya there!" he came over and sat in the armchair opposite her. "How's life treating you these days?"

_…I bet you're hard to get over…_

            Hermione's head snapped up. "Sorry Seamus, what did you say?" she felt Ginny's eyes look her up and down in disgust, as if she'd known what Hermione had been thinking about; Draco.

            Seamus laughed. "Good book then? What's it about?" Hermione looked back down at '_War and Peace'_. She hadn't been reading it; it was just an attempted distraction…

            She held up the cover. "Um…war and peace…" she murmured. 

            "Figures." Seamus laughed. "Ugh – looks to long and complicated for me! Have fun 'Mione!" He stood up and left, presumably to pester Dean and Parvati some more.

            Hermione watched as a shadow fall over her page. She looked up to find Ginny standing above her, an eyebrow raised. 

_…There's an awful lot of breathing room but I can hardly move…_

"War and peace?" she smiled at Hermione in a friendly way, the first sign of friendship in the last few hours. She shook her head disbelievingly and walked away.

"War and fucking peace." Hermione whispered, closing the book and banging her head against the soft back of the chair.  

_…There's a little bit of something me in everything in you…_

***~*~*~*~***

** A little note from me**: yes, I'm evil. But I'm very sorry! I was just browsing fics and I realised its been a month since I updated – a whole month! Can't believe I did that to all you lovely people who specifically asked me to update! So I proofread this and I hope it's ok. Pretty boring. Although it took me a while before I was happy with it. The characters are boring me a little because in my opinion they're getting a little samey; does anyone else think that too?  But I'm not giving up on this one! This fic is my 'fic' whereas the other things I write at the moment tend to be little ficlets or songfics. I wrote a Draco songfic a while back that I was kinda pleased with…*shameless plug*…

**Slytherin Wolf:** hehe thanks so much you really cheered me up! Lol very, ahem, animated reviews! And I certainly feel loved now lol! 

**Chaotic Slytherin:** thank you! I really appreciate detailed reviews! Yeah the character setting etc is starting to confuse me as well. I'll try to work on that aspect. Thank you so much! In future I shall put everything into this although I usually try to! Next chapter should be a **huge** turning point though – funnily enough one of the things you mentioned in your review will happen I think…lol, great minds…hehe. 

**Lilmissfrenchy**: thanks =) yep talk to you on msn sometime!

**Ra: **ooh I like that little quote! Thanks – yeah I want it to end happily but she can't have it both ways!! Hehe I'm so evil…thanks for the review!

**Purplepanther: **hehe thanks for your reviews!

**Femme fatale: ** lol yeah it makes it more interesting to write if their lives are twisted!

**Oliverwoodsgirl:** hehe you'll just have to see! You could be in for a surprise next chapter! Depending on what you expect…thanks!

**allee kat: ** wow thank you so much! Hehe I've never heard that one…it sounds very cheesy though! Lol.

**C**: damn you really want her to be miserable! Hehe I like your style!! Thanks for reviewing so consistently by the way!

**Innocent rambler: ** hehe 'good hands'….make me feel guilty! Lol sorry I didn't update sooner! This one's quite short too though if all goes to plan next chapter should be fun-filled!

**Fuzzy dreamer**: thanks! I was a little worried Draco was OOC but I figured he must have other sides…thanks for reviewing!

**LostAngel: **ooh I love Lilo and stitch! Hehe sorry…yeah isn't that fic good? Sorry this update was so slow!

**Zephyr: **hmm I wonder if I could work that in? Possibly…hehe look – you're a muse!! Do you think she was too OOC?

**Kim Malfoy: **yes I really like my cliff-hangers! Though there isn't one this time! Damn! Lol. Thanks!

**Dracos gurl**: thank you so much! "_Broomstick_" was soo sweet! 

**dizzymeup:** well, it's finally here! Yeah Ginny is a bit of a cow but she was kinda looking out for her friends too…even if she was a little bitchy! But there you go! Thanks for the review!

**RadcliffeChick: **well you're even more famous now then! Lol don't usually get that reaction!! Thanks so much!! Hehe don't worry – it's a good sign to be mad!! Thanks for the review!!

***Ok so this chapter was pretty boring but the next one should be much, much better! If everything goes to plan that is…leave your email address if you want and you haven't already and I'll email you when I update! Which should hopefully be soon because my exams are finally over! Yay!! Hmm I've used the words 'lol' and 'hehe' a lot today. Anywho. **_If anyone know why when I upload I can't get italics please let me in on the secret Windows is cruelly keeping from me_** =(  ß **sad face!!** Anyways, yeah….please r/r!***

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter – JKR

"Things don't always turn out that way" (Draco scene) – The Calling

"If you're gone" (Hermione's scene) – Matchbox 20 

…I don't own 'war and peace' either!

- Well that was very straightforward and un-me. I usually make a whole song and dance about disclaimers! But both those songs are amazing so if you haven't heard them yet make sure you do! 


	21. The Virginia Weasley Intervention Part I

The Virginia Weasley Intervention Part I  
  
"Oh! Sorry! I.ah.I didn't see you.sorry." Hermione bent down to pick up the remnants of the few inkbottles she'd dropped.  
  
"No, no.it's my fault. Really." Draco murmured in response. "Here - let me help you."  
  
"No! Look, really, I can do it!"  
  
"I don't mind.it was my fault."  
  
"Seriously - it was my fault. My mess. I.I can do it, ok?"  
  
"I don't mind helping you Herm- Granger."  
  
"Well maybe I mind you helping me."  
  
Ginny watched the scene in disdain. They were pathetic. Two of the most prestigious and respected members of the student body reduced to fumbling idiots over a few smashed bottles of ink. Breakfast was about to start, people would soon be walking down the corridor. If they weren't careful they'd attract a crowd.a Slytherin helping a Gryffindor was not a common occurrence in Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. She watched on, wondering what would happen between them. An argument, perhaps? Or maybe a.hold on, did he just brush her hand intentionally? Must have - she dropped another bottle. Ginny decided to inspect closer.  
  
"Honestly, I'm fine.just, just piss - I mean, I can do it. Let me be."  
  
"There's no need to be so insolent. I was just offering. Look, you're getting it all over you're hands - I'll help you."  
  
"I told you! I don't need you to -"  
  
"What happened?" Ginny asked, seemingly unaware of the prior events.  
  
"I.uh.we banged - no wait, I mean we bumped.no we, ah, we." Hermione looked for a response that didn't suggest anything unorthodox. Ginny rolled her eyes. Hermione's over-awareness of perversion only symbolised her present train of thought. "I dropped ink." Hermione finally said, point to the puddle of bleeding colours on the floor.  
  
Draco nodded vigorously.  
  
"Ink." He said, pointing at the puddle. Ginny looked between the two.  
  
"Yeah.ink." She nodded sceptically. "Hermione." she turned to face her friend. Hermione looked almost nervous. God, imagine what she'd look like if she actually had something to feel guilty about. "You should go wash up."  
  
"What?" Hermione choked. Ginny sighed quietly; that damn perverted Granger.  
  
"Your hands." Ginny motioned towards her stained hands, red ink dripping from them.like blood on her hands. "They're covered in ink."  
  
"Oh." Hermione looked down at her hands and genuinely looked shocked. And this is the smartest girl in the school.doesn't say a lot for the rest of us. "Oh! Oh, you're right. I'm dirty."  
  
Draco cleared his throat awkwardly.  
  
"I mean.I'm covered in ink. So I have to go. Yeah. Um.bye." She scooped up the rest of the bottles that were salvageable from the wreckage and ran towards Moaning Myrtles bathroom.  
  
Ginny turned to face Draco.  
  
"Malfoy." She muttered.  
  
"Weasley." He nodded his greeting, ice in his eyes. Ginny was careful not to look down - after his meeting with Hermione, she didn't want to risk seeing anything. And from his unusual behaviour with her, she could have expected a Boy Scout camp.  
  
He turned and walked away from her, leaving Ginny to contemplate with the ink puddle.  
  
"Absum." She muttered as she flicked her wand toward the puddle and it instantly disappeared. Her footsteps faded gradually as she stalked off to the Great Hall.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hermione, can you pass me the butter?" Ginny asked. She was sitting beside her at the expansive Gryffindor dining hall. Ron and Harry sat facing them, talking in hushed tones.  
  
"Hermione?" Ginny asked again, a little louder. Hermione remained oblivious to the younger, butter-seeking girl at her side. Ginny followed her gaze and her eyes narrowed. Malfoy.  
  
'Should've bloody known.' Malfoy was not meeting her gaze, talking to Crabbe or Goyle or whoever. Why the hell was she still looking at him with that look on her face? She had promised Ginny not to go near him. So ok, technically she wasn't, but she was looking most intently. Did that count?  
  
Nope.  
  
Damn it.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
"I don't want to hear it, Goyle."  
  
"But Blaise said that you -"  
  
"Tell Blaise to go fuck himself. I did not touch his bloody Muggle what's-it."  
  
"Aha! You know it's Muggle!"  
  
"You are unbelievable sometimes, Gregory." Draco Malfoy shook his head in disdain at his minion. The damn boy was accusing him of getting rid of Zambini's 'prize'. How dare he? Ok, so he had thrown it away but that didn't give anyone the right to accuse him. And that smug look on Goyle's face was going to suffer the consequences of Draco's fist if it didn't scarper soon.  
  
"Hey, do you think she's spying?" Goyle asked suspiciously. Draco sighed. Goyle was ever the dramatist.  
  
"Do I think who is spying on what?"  
  
"Her.that mudblood wrench."  
  
"Goyle, I believe the word you're looking for is wench."  
  
Draco's eyes followed Goyle's grubby finger (he resisted the urge to tell him it was bad manners to point). When they finally reached the 'she' in question, he almost choked on his filtered pumpkin juice.  
  
Hermione.  
  
She was stalking him.  
  
No, dumbass, his younger voice helpfully chirped. It's fucking dinnertime.  
  
Shut up he snapped at the juvenile in his head. You're too young to swear.  
  
Hermione was staring absent-mindedly at him, a few strands of her chestnut hair falling out of its messy ponytail and obscuring her left eye. He felt, from all the reading he had done over the years, that he should be thinking of soft poetry about how it 'graced her features' and crap like that.but he didn't really go in for it.  
  
She looked nice though.  
  
For a mudblood. He attempted to seethe. It didn't work though. He just couldn't seethe at her after how close they'd come to.well, he didn't have to anyway. They had agreed not to see each other. They wouldn't flirt or anything. They'd just be like they had been before.  
  
But he could still admire from a far.  
  
"Is she spying?" Goyle brought him back to reality with an unpleasant thud.  
  
"Fuck off Goyle, I'm busy." He snapped.  
  
He was admiring from a far, after all.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hermione was vaguely aware that she was looking at Draco. She probably shouldn't do it so openly, but to everyone else she would just look like she was in a daydream.and in a way, she was. It was so easy to get lost in him.  
  
Those eyes, stormy and as cool as ice but somehow she'd been one of the few people in the world to see those eyes dance with mirth and warmth.  
  
Those lips, from which so many insults had flown from, those lips that had caused pain to so many, those lips that had told her he loved her.  
  
His eyes, his lips, his hair, his body, his butter.  
  
His butter?  
  
"For the last time Hermione, if it doesn't interrupt too much could you please pass the butter?"  
  
Hermione looked at Ginny in complete and utter bewilderment.  
  
"Butter?" she asked, her eyes narrowed as she tried to comprehend the question.  
  
"Oh it doesn't matter." Ginny sighed as she stood up and leaned over the table to lift the much wanted spread.  
  
"Ginny!" ermHhe Hermione scolded quietly. "Never lean over a table. That is the height of bad manners!"  
  
"Really?" Ginny rose an eyebrow as she spread the butter on her slice of bread. She motioned blatantly to the Slytherin table. "I always thought breaking a promise was worse."  
  
Hermione bit her tongue. Don't say anything you'll regret, Hermione.  
  
"I haven't broken any promise."  
  
"Yet."  
  
"I'm not going to. I promised you." Hermione said through clenched teeth. She watched Ginny for a few minutes before finally deciding to go to class early, not trusting herself to stay calm with Ginny.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ginny set down her knife and stared after Hermione. She swivelled her head and looked at Draco, who looked just as depressed and moody as Hermione. Her eyes went between the two directions for a few moments before Draco finally drowned the last of his goblet and stood up and left the hall on his own.  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes and stood up.  
  
She would regret this later.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Draco!" Draco stopped just as he got out of the Great Hall. Who the hell was it now? He just wanted to get the hell away from here.  
  
"Draco!" the voice called again, this time right behind him. He turned slowly and was shocked at the sight before him.  
  
"Weasley?" he asked incredulously. She gritted her teeth.  
  
"Don't call me that, Malfoy. I'm trying to help you."  
  
"Help me?" he raised an eyebrow. "Pray tell, what with?"  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling, trying to decide whether or not she should tell him.  
  
"Look;" she started hesitantly. Sounds ominous Draco thought. The red headed girl looked behind her precariously before finally facing him. "I know you like Hermione."  
  
Draco could have sworn he felt his jaw smack off the ground and bounce back to whack him one on the head.  
  
"What?" he breathed. Ginny smiled slowly.  
  
"I know you like Hermione," she said, this time more confidently. "And I know she likes you. So I'm going to help you get her back."  
  
"No." Draco shook his head. "No, we've agreed. We're not going to do anything. So sorry, but you're wasting your -"  
  
"Oh shut up, I know about that stupid agreement." She waved her hand dismissively.  
  
"How much did she tell you?" he wasn't quite sure what to think - why was Hermione telling people?"  
  
"She didn't." Draco narrowed his eyes. She waved a hand dismissively. "I heard you in the library."  
  
"What?" he exclaimed. Ginny sighed.  
  
"Oh stop the thespian act, Malfoy." Draco looked dejected for a minute. He was not keen on being mocked. "The important thing is, I know you like her and I know she likes you. And despite everything that I made her promise to and against everything I think, I'm going to get the two of you back together."  
  
Draco laughed dryly. "Sorry to break it to you, but you're out of your league here, little Weasley."  
  
"Fuck off pretty-boy." Draco shut up quickly. "I know a hell of a lot more than you think and for some unfathomable reason a very good friend of mine has fallen head over heels for you. And I'm not talking about Harry."  
  
"Oh sweet Jesus!" Draco screamed. "Careful with the mental images!"  
  
"Whatever. So basically, I have decided that you will talk to Hermione tonight after dinner and you will both confess undying love, la di da di da, blah blah blah, so on and so forth. Ok?"  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow at Ginny's 'straight forward' instructions.  
  
"You done?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Good. Because now I shall tell you what will really happen. If for some reason I'm stupid enough to say that to Hermione, I can tell you now she will throw it back into my face. She doesn't want to go out with me anymore. She said so herself."  
  
"Don't talk crap." Ginny said cynically. "You know just as well as I do she'll be ecstatic."  
  
Draco was silent for a moment. "The agreement."  
  
"Draco! The agreement is bullshit!" she exclaimed.  
  
He looked at the ornate ceiling for a minute.yes or no? Should he or shouldn't he? Yes or no? Yes or no?  
  
"Yes?" she asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
How dare she Hermione fumed. How dare that little brat accuse me of breaking my promise? She actually thinks that I would specifically say that I wouldn't be with Draco, and then turn around and fucking marry him. Does she not trust me at all?  
  
It was the last class of the day, but Hermione was still angry. Ginny had no right to accuse her of.of that. Who did she think she was?  
  
"Class is over, students." Professor Flitwick announced. "You may leave - and don't forget the essay due in for next class on -" his tiny voice was lost as the class lunged for the door as one. Hermione was pushed along into the corridor by her fellow students. She knew she should get over her anger quickly; she would certainly not gain anything by being moody to Ginny. God knew Ginny wouldn't take it kindly.  
  
"Hermione!" Hermione looked up at the sound of her name being called from down the hallway. She saw Ginny flailing her arms trying to get her attention.  
  
"Hi!" she panted when she'd reached the girl one year her senior. "Look, I wanted to say I'm sorry for this morning at breakfast."  
  
Hermione rose her eyebrows. Why was Ginny apologising? She was usually so stubborn.  
  
"Um.ok. I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have walked off on you like that."  
  
"No, no." Ginny broke in. "You were completely within your right." Hermione smiled at her sudden change of heart. "If you want to break the promise it's up to you, I don't mind."  
  
"Well Ginny, that's very nice of -" Wait a minute. Hermione stopped dead in the hallway, causing some of the stampeding students to walk into her, much to both parties' pain and displeasure.  
  
"The idea is to walk!" some random passer by shouted at her. Hermione didn't hear though.  
  
"What do you mean, 'if I want to break the promise'?" she folded her arms defensively. "I wasn't breaking the promise Ginny!"  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes and linked Hermione's arm, forcing her to carry on walking. "Yeah ok, you weren't today. But I'm just saying, if you want to, you can."  
  
"I can't believe you, Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed. "Why would I lie to you? I promised you I wouldn't! And I wont!"  
  
"Yeah, sure." Ginny answered cynically.  
  
She has no faith in me at all.Hermione couldn't get over the lack of trust someone who she considered to be a close friend held for her.  
  
"Anyway, you coming to dinner now?" Ginny asked jovially.  
  
"No." Hermione stopped again. "I think I'll go lie down, I'm not feeling great." Anymore.  
  
"NO!" Ginny screeched, grabbing her other arm. "You have to go!"  
  
Don't trust me to be alone, do you?  
  
"Ginny - let go. I don't want to go to dinner." Hermione tried in vain to pull away from the younger girl's grasp.  
  
"Hermione Granger! You of all people should know you need three balanced meals a day. You are coming with me and that's final!"  
  
My God. Hermione thought miserably as she let herself be led down the hallway to the Great Hall. She won't even let me be alone. Am I that much of a fucking man eater to her?  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Draco waited outside the Great Hall anxiously. He kept replaying the conversation with Ginny in his head over and over again. Somehow she had managed to coax him into thinking this was a good idea.what the hell? He knew Hermione wouldn't agree anyway. She had made it fairly clear that she wouldn't see him. Right?  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hermione and Ginny sat in silence at the Gryffindor dining table. While Ginny pushed her food nervously around her plate, Hermione made no effort to control the anger vibes radiating off her. She blatantly seethed at the younger girl and right now did not give a damn if she noticed. How dare she try to mother her? She was almost a full year younger than her!  
  
"Right." Ginny said amiably as she finally retired from playing with her food. She stood up and looked around her, eyes landing on the Slytherin table. She let her eyes wander the length of the table before nodding. Making sure Draco's not there? Hermione thought bitterly.  
  
"Right," she repeated. Ginny grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her up, much to her disapproval. "Let's go."  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
Hello again faithful reviewers. Sorry doesn't begin to cover it, does it? It's been 2 months and 7 days since I updated. I know. It's appalling. But on the positive side, I have the next chapter written! It was originally one chapter but it was about 22 pages long so I decided to chop it in half (hence the part 1 in the title). I hope you liked this chapter and the next chapter is angsty fluff galore. Blech. I just finished writing it and now I'm exhausted hehe. We're sort of reaching the climax here.  
  
But it's not over.  
  
I'm not sure how long it'll be yet, but it's so over people! So anyway, a lot of people liking the MB20 song in chapter 20 - how much do they rock!! I would go through all the reviews but I'm feeling guiltier every minute so I'm just going to update here. Thanks to all the wonderful reviews and especially all the ones that have stuck by me for awhile, such as;  
  
LostAngel RadcliffeChick Snow White Innocent rambler Caitie  
  
Oliverwoodsgirl  
  
Yotama Femme fatale Zephyr allee kat lilmissfrenchy tigris of mirkwood and all the others whose names haven't popped into my head!  
  
If you're reading this story please review so I know what you think! I take all suggestions into consideration and if I don't use them I usually have a valid reason (  
  
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Thanken you! I love you all! mystical xx  
  
PS The Virginia Weasley Intervention Part II - on it's way very soon. I promise. 


	22. The Virginia Weasley Intervention Part I...

The Virginia Weasley Intervention Part II  
  
  
They should be coming out soon Draco thought nervously. Maybe he should just turn away. Maybe he should run back to his common room and moan about life in general. Maybe he should go take the piss out of Potter. Maybe he should do that anyway.   
  
Or maybe he should try talking to Hermione. Just one more time. What harm could it do?  
  
A lot. Damn inner voice. Ok, he could lose Hermione forever and she would really never talk to him again. She could say some things he knew he didn't want to hear. She could tear out his heart and brutally cut it up into tiny pieces. Then stamp on each segment repeatedly until there was nothing but a bloody mush of ventricles and arteries and all that was left was the bitter, insatiable ghost of a teenage boy that used to be.   
  
If that could happen twice.  
  
Or she could say yes.   
  
'...Look...if you had one shot...one opportunity...to seize everything you ever wanted...in one moment...would you capture it...or just let it slip...'  
  
Music...Parvati was here? He looked around...no, she wasn't...just her radio. All by itself. And seemingly invisible. It was an overused saying but he felt it sufficient for the moment in time and it really needed to be said; What the fuck?  
  
Getting off the topic, Draco...Where the hell was Ginny? She said she'd be here as soon as possible. If she wasn't here soon...well, he'd have a valid excuse for leaving, right?   
  
Shit. He thought. There goes that theorem. He caught a flash of ginger hair at the doorway and skulked even further into the shadows. She had specifically told him to wait until she had gone...  
  
'...His palms are heavy...'  
  
Time seemed to slow down to the bear minimum. He silently hoped he was dead - then he wouldn't have to go through with this. In the world of Draco Malfoy, the one thing worse than rejection was uncertainty.  
  
'...he's nervous but on the surface he looks calm and ready...'  
  
"Shit! I forgot my bag!" Ginny cried as she turned and ran from Hermione.  
  
"But you didn't have one...Ginny! Come back -"  
  
"Hermione..."  
  
Hermione stopped dead as she heard the all too familiar voice utter her name. The voice she'd dreaded hearing. The voice she dreamt of...  
  
"What do you want?" She whispered, still not daring to face him.  
  
"Uh...um..."   
  
'...he opens his mouth but the words wont come out...'  
  
She turned to face him.  
  
"Look - what are you doing here? If Ginny comes back -"  
  
"She won't."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"She won't come back. Its part of the plan."  
  
"The plan?"  
  
"Uh...yeah..."  
  
"Plan for what?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Draco; plan for what?"  
  
"Never mind." Draco shrugged "It was a stupid idea. Bye." He turned to leave when he felt Hermione delicately grasp his arm.  
  
"Draco..."  
  
He turned slowly to face her. He could still back out...  
  
"Fine." She said, nodding. "If you're not going to talk, go."  
  
Draco felt the fury rise. "What the hell? How dare you come at me all dominant and shit? After everything!"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Here we go again..."  
  
"Oh yeah." Draco seethed. "There goes bloody Draco again - whinging about that whole broken heart thing. Damn, I hope he doesn't mention that little matter of the rape story..."  
  
"Is that the only reason you're here?" she exclaimed. "Look! I said I'm sorry - I don't know what else you want me to do!"  
  
"No, it's not the only reason I'm here! But I'm starting to think it might as well be!"  
  
"Then why don't you run back to your Slytherins then?"  
  
'...he's so mad but he won't give up that easy no...'  
  
"Good question!"  
  
"Then leave!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
'...this whole rhapsody...he better go capture it and hope it don't pass him...'  
  
"Because I still love you!"   
  
They simultaneously fell silent.   
  
"Draco...please don't do this again..."  
  
"Look Hermione. I'm sorry, ok? And I know you're sorry for all this shit. But I can't help it. I've tried forgetting you and it just doesn't fucking work. And asides from that - that fucking music thing haunts me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Every song it plays just reminds me of you. It's a fucking obsession Hermione and I can't stop it."  
  
"Please don't..." she whispered. She shook her head slowly and covered her face with her hands.  
  
"No, Hermione - I'm on a role, ok?" He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Ok...I know we agreed to stop all this but this is so much different than it first began..."  
  
'...I was playing in the beginning...the mood all changed...I've been chewed up and spat out...'  
  
"I thought I might like you...don't ask how. I guess all those years...I'm not saying I never hated you; I'm pretty certain I did. Oh don't look at me like that Hermione; you hated me just as much, if not more! But recently...I don't know."  
  
He stopped. She was still silent, just looking at him.  
  
"You're still here."  
  
"I wanna know."  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"What happened...how it started." Draco sighed and leaned his back against the wall, knowing that if he looked at her he would never be able to finish the story.  
  
"It all started with this dream a few months back. Every night when I'd go to sleep...I'd see you. I hated it at the beginning, I was pretty sure I hated you. Sometimes I'd be in the dream with you, and we'd be in class just getting along, or we'd be...well, in a compromising position..."  
  
She blushed.  
  
"Other times...it would just be you. Not necessarily doing anything...just...there. Smiling. Sometimes you'd be talking, or reading. But sometimes you'd just be completely silent. And still. Just existing. And I'd become so enthralled...pretty soon, I was obsessed with you. Even though I knew I shouldn't be having these dreams - you were Hermione. And I was Draco. And nothing like that was ever going to happen...then that day, I made the decision to talk to you. I made such a prat of myself. At that stage, I just knew I liked you. But over the past week, as cheesy as it sounds, I'm more or less sure I love you."  
  
He finally turned to face her. He smiled softly.  
  
"So there you have it. The unbelievable, seemingly exaggerated but true story."  
  
Hermione felt her eyes well up with tears. "You don't love me." She managed to whisper, a hoarse croak.  
  
"I do!" he looked frantic. "Did you not hear me?"  
  
"I did hear you...that's how I know. You don't love me...you love a dream. You said it yourself. You were obsessed with the dream. And all that time...you didn't pay any attention to me. It was the dream all along. You just had all this passion and you needed to personify it...somehow your twisted mind presented my image..."  
  
"No." Draco said firmly. Why did she have to be so goddamn...logical. He didn't want to believe it. he refused to believe it. "No. That's not it - because now I know. After the incredibly brief time we've had - I know it's you. It's not the dream anymore. It's you."  
  
"Have you had the dream since we talked?"  
  
Draco thought. "No..."  
  
"Exactly. Since you've seen the real me...you don't want to know me anymore."  
  
"Then why am I here?" he straightened up to look at her with pleading eyes. "The reason I don't have the dream anymore is because I prefer the reality much more. Being with you in person is better than any dream possible."  
  
She looked at him for a few minutes, searching his eyes. She let out a strangled cry before collapsing against the wall, her face pressed against the cold stone. "Why are you always doing this?" she cried. "Why do you lead me on to bring me back down? When I thought you finally like me, you turn around and tell me it was all some made-up dream in your head."  
  
"But I just told you that -"  
  
"And then you say one of those beautiful speeches to me that makes me fall in love with you all over again. You bastard!! Why couldn't you have just let me be by myself and like you without you ever knowing!" she sniffed and looked round. "Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"I said why are you look-"  
  
"No before that...what did you mean?" he took a few steps toward her. "You said why couldn't I have let you like me without me ever knowing..."  
  
"I didn't."  
  
"You did. You know you did." He crossed his arms. "I've told you my story...tell me yours."  
  
"There's no story."  
  
"There's always a story. You said before that you loved me. Since when?"  
  
"I wasn't thinking right. You confused me and -"  
  
"Hermione I just opened up my fucking stone cold heart to you. Tell me how you know..."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"I'll never ask you again Hermione. But I need to know."  
  
She took a deep breath and pushed her hair behind her ear. Now or never.  
  
'...feet fail me not 'cos this may be the only opportunity that I got...lose yourself...'  
  
"I don't know...I hated you, like you said. We were opposites. You were such a prick to my friends and I." Draco smiled inwardly; trust Hermione to have consistently good grammar.   
"But at the same time, I had respect for you. You were the only person ever to stand up to Harry...no one did that. Don't get me wrong, he's my friend and I love him - Draco, don't role your eyes, you asked me to explain." He nodded, smiling slightly. "Right. Anyway, he is THE Harry Potter - everyone loves him. Well, except the Slytherins, but you were the only one who wasn't afraid of him."  
  
Draco thought about what she was saying...she respected him for hating Harry to the point he could quite happily kill the bastard...this relationship would be easier than expected...  
  
"Don't get me wrong - I hate the fact you two fight..."  
  
Damn.  
  
"I just always admired the way you stood up to what you belief in, however ludicrous your morals were. On top of that, you never took the piss out of me for my grades. Even though everyone in my house said you were stupid,"  
  
His eyebrows shot up. Stupid?  
  
"You are almost as high in me in every subject. I respect you...I always have...we'd have been good friends if you had been a Gryffindor."  
  
"Likewise, if you had been Slytherin."  
  
"I would never have been Slytherin."  
  
"Hypothetically -"  
  
"No."  
  
"But if -"  
  
"Never."  
  
Draco smiled. Stubborn cow. "So, ok. You respect me. That's not love."  
  
"I was hoping you'd forget that aspect."  
  
"No can do."  
  
"Right..." she looked around warily, making sure no one could here her. She wasn't prone to public exclamations of love. "After that whole thing with the Polyjuice potion - oh yeah, sorry about that - " He shrugged. "I realised that there could have been a chance for us to...you know...relate. Would you please stop raising your eyebrows at every second word? Thank you. Anyway. I kept trying to ignore you...but you were so damn persistent. Suddenly all these dormant emotions become dominant and I felt myself falling for you. Even though I tried not to...I thought that if I just kept telling myself to hate you, I could get over you. And then Ginny made me promise to never talk to you again -"  
  
"She did?"   
  
"Yes, she did. Draco, shut up." Draco smiley wryly. Even now she was in teacher mode.  
  
"Anyway, I had to promise never to talk to you again. It was only then I sort of realised how much I would miss you. Now that it was really final...I felt like shit. It had been better before, when I could at least pretend that someday, even 10 years into the future, we could...relate."  
  
"So..." Draco said conclusively. "We've established that I still love you (not the dream), and you still love me (for hating your friends)."   
  
Hermione smiled at the absurdity of this conversation and slowly nodded.   
  
"Yes, more or less. But as we previously decided, we can't do anything about it thanks to the house rivalry and various other obstacles."  
  
"Not necessarily."  
  
"In what way?"  
  
'...lose yourself...the moment...you own it...you better never let it go...'  
  
"It's not too late, Hermione." He stepped forward so that he was standing right in front of her, his shadow falling over her delicate face.   
  
"It is."  
  
"We're alive - that means it's not too late."  
  
"Stop being so damn philosophical."  
  
"Can't help it. It's my way."  
  
"I don't like it."  
  
"Yes you do - you're still here. Because you love me and I love you and there's no point in bullshitting anymore."  
  
"You have all the answers, don't you?"  
  
'...this opportunity comes once in a lifetime...'  
  
"I like to think so..." he whispered. He smiled softly as he leant forward slowly.  
  
"No!" she yelped as she jumped away from him.  
  
"What?!"   
  
"Ginny!"   
  
"What? Why are you thinking about Ginny? That's sick!"   
  
"No! Not that! I promised Ginny!"  
  
"But you don't underst-"  
  
"I'm sorry!" She screamed as she ran from him, running back to the direction of the Great Hall. She felt the colour drain from her face as she saw Ginny standing there. If the Entrance Hall had been quiet, Ginny would've been close enough to hear the entire conversation.  
  
Her stomach dropped to somewhere around her knees.  
  
"Why are you here?" Ginny asked incredulously.  
  
Make that her ankles.  
  
"Ginny! I'm so sorry!" Hermione cried, tears rolling furiously down her face. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! He was standing there! I...I don't know what came over me! I know that's no excuse but -" she stopped mid-rant. "Why are you smiling?"  
  
"Did you not think why I hadn't come back for you yet?"  
  
"I thought maybe you were still looking for your...Ginny, where is your bag?"  
  
"You were right - I didn't have a bag."  
  
"Then why did you..."  
  
"I thought you were supposed to be smart?"  
  
Hermione looked taken aback. She was questioning her intelligence?  
  
"How do you mean..."  
  
"Hermione!" Ginny laughed. "I set it up! I talked to Draco earlier and told him he needed to sort it out - both of you do. Hermione," She walked over to her and hugged her. "You're miserable. I want you to be happy and if Draco is the thing that can make you smile again, then who am I to stop it?"  
  
"But I promised you." Hermione said, her voice muffled by Ginny's hair. "I'd be a pretty crap friend if I broke that promise."  
  
"The fact that you're here with me and not him shows that you would hold that promise 'til you died. I know I can trust you, 'Mione. But from now, the promise in non-existent."  
  
"Ginny..." She whispered as she pulled away from the hug.  
  
"Go!" she laughed. "Go back to your Slytherin pig! Before I change my mind!"  
  
Hermione laughed. "I won't if you really don't want -"  
  
"Hermione." She said sternly, but her eyes were glowing with mirth. "I'm ordering you to go - now!"   
  
Hermione grinned. "You're amazing, Ginny."  
  
"It has been said, yes. Now piss off!"  
  
Hermione nodded and smiled ecstatically. She turned and ran back to where she'd left Draco, hoping he hadn't left. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him crouched on the floor, his head in his hands.  
  
Hermione pushed her hair behind her ears again, straightened her robes and took a deep breath.  
  
"Does that offer still stand?"  
  
Draco opened his eyes in amazement. He slowly turned his head to face the voice. He smiled. It wasn't a dream. She'd come back.  
  
'...you can do anything you set your mind to...'  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hey, Dean!" Dean Thomas stopped as he heard his friend's voice call him. "Have you seen Hermione around?"  
  
Dean turned to face him. "Eh...I saw her in the Great Hall about half an hour ago. She might still be there. She was with Ginny."  
  
"Ah right, ok. I'll try there. Thanks mate."  
  
"Anytime, Ron."  
  
Ron Weasley took the stairs down two at a time. Things were finally going right. His grades were slowly but surely improving, Malfoy hadn't been causing any ructions lately and Hermione was a hell of a lot happier. Life was good.  
  
He reached the Great Hall and poked his head in. There were a few Gryffindor first years, a love-struck Ravenclaw couple (he smiled), and a few Hufflepuffs and Slytherins scattered around the room. No Hermione, no Ginny. They're probably in the library again he thought.   
  
He turned to go back up the stairs when something caught his eye. He thought he'd seen a flash of Hermione's hair in the far corner of the Entrance Hall. It was hard to tell, though. That corner was obscured by suits of armour and shadows, what with the stairs and all.  
  
Might as well go and see he decided. Nothing better to do, anyway.  
  
He walked over to the place, his shoes squeaking on the waxed floor with every other step. He saw it again. Yeah, it was definitely her hair.   
  
"Hey Her-" He started to call out her name but stopped suddenly. She wasn't alone.  
  
Malfoy.  
  
Ron felt his face go red. He was kissing her. He was doing it again. That bloody bastard had dared to come near Hermione again.  
  
He was going to rape her again. And Hermione was obviously to tired to put up a fight.   
  
What if he had put a spell on her? Some kind of body bind? So that she couldn't fight back. The bastard. He was just a coward. He was an evil, malicious coward - taking advantage of someone who couldn't even defend herself.  
  
Ron felt his hands clench into fists. He was going to kill him.  
  
He took a step forward and stopped in horror. She was putting her arm around him. Why would she put her arm around him?  
  
It's part of a spell he told himself. It's a spell. Was there such a spell possible? Yes. Yes, there had to be...  
  
She finally pulled away. Ron sighed quietly. She was resisting. But then...why was she smiling.  
  
"I love you, Draco Malfoy."  
  
"I love you too, Hermione Granger."  
  
And then he kissed her again.   
  
And she didn't fight.  
  
And there was no spell.  
  
Ron clenched his teeth and back silently away from the scene. What was going on? How was this happening? He walked a few paces before he broke into a run, tears threatening to fall from his cobalt eyes.   
  
She had lied.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
And there ends Chapter 22. And we start a whole new phase of this fanfic. Isn't that fun? Yes. Yes it is.  
  
TriGemini - thank you!   
  
innocent rambler - so sorry for the long wait, but this one was up unusually fast, largely because I wrote it at the same time as 21. Does this chapter clear it up? Thanks for the review!  
  
Dreaming One - 'paying back of the karmic dues'; I like that! Don't be surprised if it pops up in a later chapter lol! I changed my style? In a good way or a not so good way? I didn't even notice! Anyway, yeah...I made Ginny into a bitch...but now she's ok! And Hermione was also a bitch...I'm really into my bitchiness in this story! Thanks for your insightful reviews!  
  
Radcliffe Chick - thanks for the emails! I loved the poem by the way!   
  
lilmissfrenchy - thanks!  
  
LostAngel - thank you!  
  
Femme Fatale - thanks. Yeah I don't know! I know I keep saying that but I honestly don't. I might not even add some...then again, I have no idea. Already this story has gone against everything I planned - that whole rape thing? Where the hell did that come from?! I'll try to figure out a way of putting some in though, and don't worry - you don't sound pervy!   
  
Nikki - aw thank you so much! Yeah, I like my cliffhangers as you may have noticed!  
  
Thank you for all the lovely reviews and please keep up the great work - only 61 more and I'm at 300! Doesn't that sound like fun! No...really...it does. Anyway - leave your email address if you want an update memo!  
  
Thank u all - and I apologise in advance if the next chapter is a bit late. Happy Easter! (doesn't that sound cheesy? Yes...very.)  
  
mystical xx 


	23. And the Fat Lady sings…

**And the Fat Lady sings…**

He couldn't believe it. Why. Why would she do it? Why would she fraternise with the enemy? Why would she _kiss_ her rapist? Why would she tell him she loved him? Why would he say he loved her? Why would he _rape_ her…and then fall in love with her? It didn't work out. 

            The rape didn't fit in to the story.

            But that was preposterous. It had to fit in. This whole charade started with the rape. There must've been a spell involved. 

            Exactly! That was it! He hadn't been thinking clearly when he saw them earlier – of course there was a spell! Malfoy probably put a body bind on Hermione the night he maliciously raped her, and now he had slipped her some sort of Love Potion. It was all part of his sadistic Master Plan. 

            "Ron?"  Ron looked up, startled by the voice. 

            "Oh, Harry. Hey. What are you doing here?" 

            "Uh…we're right outside the common room…you ok mate?" Harry asked.

            _Should I tell him? _

            "Yeah," _probably better not to, until I know the details. _"Yeah, course I am."

            "Oh. Ok. You just look a bit…confused or something."

            "I was just thinking."

            "Ah, that explains it."

            "Watch it."

            Harry grinned. "So," he said, looking side-to-side. "Where's Hermione?"

            Ron felt his stomach drop. "I…uh…I'm not sure actually."

            Harry feigned shock. "What? You mean you let her out of your sight for longer than a thirty second period?"

            Ron glared at his exaggerating friend. Harry laughed. "Look, don't worry. The Malfoy thing scared us all. But he won't come near her again. And anyway, Hermione's strong. She's coped amazingly."

            Ron froze. _She's coped amazingly…_

            "Harry…do you think it's normal for someone to cope that well? I mean, it's hardly been anytime and she's acting like it didn't happen."

            "Well…" Harry fixed his glasses. "I suppose you're right. But Hermione doesn't let things get on top of her…she carries on with life."

            "Yeah but – rape! Rape is a huge thing, Harry.  How could she possibly be over it in such a short time?"

            He shrugged. "Who can understand the mysterious workings of Ms. Granger's strange and beautiful mind? No one can predict what goes through her head."

            "Harry…do you remember that night?"

            Harry looked startled. "What night? You started fantasising about me again, Ronald?" 

            "Shut up Harry, I'm serious."

            Harry looked taken aback. "Yeah…I remember the night she was…attacked. Of course I do." 

            "What happened?"

            "What happened? Hermione was ra-"

            "I know that, you arsehole. I mean, what happened from when we came in?"

            "Eh…ok. Well, we were coming from the library 'cos we were looking for Hermione – we had to do that Potions Essay. Oh! Did I tell you what Snape gave me for that -" He caught Ron's glare. "Never mind. So, we were looking for 'Mione to help us, and we heard screaming in this corridor. So we ran round and when we finally got here, Malfoy was the only one in sight. We said some stuff to him and he…no actually, he didn't say anything. He just looked at us and walked off. That's kind of weird…you would've thought he'd be bragging about it, wouldn't you?"

            _Please don't ask me that _Ron silently prayed.

            "Anyway, so we gave the password and went inside, Dean told us she was in her room – ooh that was when his cards exploded! God that was hilarious, remember he had no eyebrows and Lavender had to draw them on for him? Anyway…we went upstairs and…and she said she'd been raped. And that's about it."

            Harry looked down at his shoes. It was still sinking in.

            "She said that, didn't she?" Ron asked, attempting to suppress the hope in his voice. "She said _'Malfoy raped me'_, didn't she?" 

            "Yeah."

            Ron tried to hide a smile. "Definitely?"

            "Yes." Ron nodded in satisfaction. "More or less." 

            His stomach tightened.

            "More or less?"

            "Yeah…you asked her if Malfoy raped her, and she nodded."

            "So she didn't actually say…"

            "Well, no. Why does it matter?"

            "Because I think -" but something stopped him from finishing. He couldn't rubbish Hermione. Not until he knew for sure. 

            "You think what?"

            A large snore erupted from beside them. Both boys jumped and looked around for the source. Another snore came.

            "What the -" Ron spun round until his eyes found the culprit. "Crap! For a portrait she can snore bloody loudly." Harry smiled. 

            "Oh!" he said, looking like he'd just woken up. "That night. One other thing, she was crying."

            "Who?" Ron looked confused. "Hermione?"

            "No. Well, yes." He nodded at the portrait. "I mean her."

            "_Her _has a name, thank you." They looked around. She appeared to have woken.

            "You do?" Harry asked.

She glared. 

            "You're awake."

            She glared at Ron this time. "And this is the next generation of wizards. Merlin save us all."

            "Oh, ok." Harry answered. She rolled her eyes. Her _painted _eyes. 

            "What were you talking about me for?"

            "Oh I was just saying," Harry said casually. "About how when you were crying."

            "You can talk." Ron said in awe, not listening to Harry.

            "Well I can see why you're not in Ravenclaw!" She mocked Ron. Harry sniggered. She turned to face him. 

            "What do you mean, when I was crying?"

            "That time when…" Harry couldn't say it so relaxed. He looked at his shoes again. "That time when Malfoy and Hermione were here."

            "Malfoy? Is that that nice Slytherin boy?" Harry felt his mouth drop. 

            "Nice Slytherin boy?"

            "Yes. He was so sweet to that girl, Hermione."

            "You're being sarcastic, aren't you?"

            She furrowed her brow. "No. Why would I be? He was the perfect gent."

            "Then why did you cry?" Inspector Potter asked.

            "Well so would you!" she exclaimed. "If you'd seen what I had."

            That brought Ron back to earth with a thud. 

            "You saw it?" 

            "Of course I did! I was given eyes for a reason, you know."

            Ron was enraged. "Why didn't you stop him?"

            "Why would I stop him?" she was completely shocked by his sudden  antagonistic attitude.

            "Because! Well, did you not think to tell anyone afterwards?"

            "I'm not a gossip monger, young man! It was their business." Harry watched the scene unfold with anticipation. It was very strange. His best friend was arguing with a painting. He would never get used to the Wizarding world.

            "I'm not saying you are! But how could you not tell anyone you saw something as sick and evil as that!"

            "Sick and evil? It was romantic!"

            "Romantic? It was _fucking rape!"_

"Rape? What are you on about? What rape?" 

            Ron clenched his teeth. "Malfoy raped Hermione right here."

            She let out a laugh. "That's preposterous. Why would he rape her when they'd just said they loved each other?"

            Ron saw Harry turn around in amazement. He felt the colour drain from his own face. So apparently this wasn't a new revelation then.

"What?" he whispered. 

            "And then she went very strange and accused him of not loving her and how they were too different. It was most upsetting! And that, young man," she glared at Harry. "Is why I was crying."

            "And there was no rape?" Ron choked. 

            "Of course there wasn't, whatever gave you that idea?" He decided not to answer that one. 

            "But…" Harry ventured, obviously confused. "But why would Hermione cry?"

            "Oh, she got quite hysterical." The Fat Lady nodded sympathetically. She smiled as she looked down the corridor. "Hmm, she looks happier now though."

            Ron and Harry followed her gaze. Ron's eyes narrowed. She was smiling dreamily and had a glazed look in her eyes, lazily twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. She caught sight of Harry and Ron and her smile widened. 

            "Hi! I've been looking for you for ages!"

            She finally reached them. Her eyes darted between the confusion on Harry's face and the determination on Ron's.

            "Like hell you've been." Ron said through clenched teeth.

            "What?" she looked shocked but the smile never left her face. "Oh, by the way, I was thinking we could all work on that Transfiguration assignment tonight, I thought -"

            "You bitch." Hermione's eyes widened. Her lip started to quiver.

            "Ron…" Ron didn't wait for her to act confused. Before he could think about it, his hand reached up and slapped her across the face. Her hand flew to her cheek.

            "Stay away from me." He seethed, walking past her and disappearing from sight as he rounded the corner. 

*~*~*~*~*

Don't be fooled by this chapter title – it's not over!!!!! I just did that to trick you all. Hehe! Anyways;

**Femme Fatale **sorry! L I haven't promised anything though…I might do some actually…he he the cogs in my brain start turning…

**Innocent rambler **– yeah, she didn't suit being a bitch lol. But yes definitely, more obstacle *_evil laugh_* 

**Tigerbrat88 **– hell yes Sean rocks! And you're very right about Mr. Felton as well J yeah…when you put it like that, she doesn't exactly have great friends lol.

**TriGemini **– ok so he didn't ruin _that _moment anyway! Was it too confusing? I kind of wrote it on a roll and it sort of moved fast…I dint want to put to much description in it to break the flow and interrupt the urgency. Thanks for your review!

**Ally **– thank you so much! Wow you're so lucky...MB20…wow!!!!

**Sinead **– hehe God you're really one for vocabulary neada! I know!! I'll call you soon – I hardly got to talk to you last week!!!

**Louise **– lol no…she needs to come off the drugs and stop living in her own little world!

**Oliverwoodsgirl **– yes Hermione is a little OOC…she should be a bit ballsier but I'm hoping that will come across and into force in later chapters. Thanks for your consistent reviews!

**Draco's chick **– thank you! Well…for the mean time they are anyway!

**LostAngel **– yea fluff!! Lol I'm kind of getting used to it now! Ooh have fun in your play – tell me how your hair-dying goes lol. I'm auditioning for a part in _Calamity Jane_ next week…haha should be, um, interesting! Thanks for the reviews!

**Emi **– thanks! Please keep reading and tell me what you think!

**Draco's Angel **– thanks! Yeah you're on the list now, happy reading!

**AngelEyes101 **– hell yes!

**FiliaTheRyuuzoku **– thank you so much! Yeah most the paragraphs aren't long because I don't want to spend too long on descriptive pieces and make it boring. But then again, direct speech is pretty boring too…ah it's hard! Hehe thanks for your review; I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Thanks to all my reviewers – more reviews inspire me!!!!! And come on people – 46 until we reach 300! This is my target point!! And you're _so close!!!_ Leave your email address if you'd like an email when I update.**

**Disclaimer:  **I don't own any Harry Potter material used throughout and in chapter 22; "Lose Yourself" belongs to Eminem. And funnily enough, that's not me. 

And by the way…I haven't finished this fic yet but I have ideas…would you like those ideas to make this one big fic or a sequel? Or are sequels over rated? Or is it indifferent? At the minute I'm thinking one big fic…ideas please!

mystical xx


	24. The Dark Lord would not take kindly

**The Dark Lord would not take kindly**

"Hermione…" Harry ventured precariously. "What…what's going on?"

            "I wish I knew." She whispered, hand still firmly clasped to the place Ron had slapped her. _He hit me…_

            "Hermione." Harry said, stronger. "The fat lady. She said…she said you loved Draco. She said there was no rape."

            Hermione's eyes widened. _How could this happen? Why? Everything was just starting to go right…_

"Why would she say that, Hermione? Why would she lie?"

            Hermione looked Harry in the eyes. She felt her eyes well up with tears before she was forced to look down. She didn't deserve Harry. She didn't deserve Ron. She didn't deserve Draco. This was all twisted…

            Harry looked at his friend for a few silent moments. How could she do this? It didn't make sense. 

            "You disgust me." He heard himself say to his distraught friend, inducing a fresh shudder of tears. He turned and walked into the common room, unsure of what the fuck was going on.

*~*~*~*~*

            _All this time she had been lying_, Ron thought as he strode through the Hogwarts corridors. _All this time_. He had sat there; comforted her, listened to her, been there for her when she needed him most. Ron had to suppress a laugh. Well, when she had_ allegedly _needed him most. He would've thought after all this time they had been friends he would learn to know when she was lying. Fuck, after all this time she should trust him enough not to lie. Why the fuck didn't she tell him the truth from the beginning?

_Because you wouldn't have understood._

            No. That's not true. Hermione was his best friend. He would always understand her. She may have gone through slightly scary phases…that much was undeniable…but he would always have been there for her.

_But not this time._

            Yes, even this time.

_Not with Draco._

            Ron found himself coming to a halt mid-stride. It wouldn't have ever come to that. What did that fucking portrait know? She hated Draco. She always had. He was such a bastard to her. He'd lost count of the amount of times she, the most conservative person he had ever met, had lost her cool with him. He remembered several occasions she'd even slapped him. Of course she didn't love him. That was preposterous. She hated him with a fiery passion.

_Too much passion…_

            "Ron!" he felt his eyes narrow as the all too familiar voice rang through the desolate corridor. He contemplated stopping to confront his friend but, not trusting himself, he walked on without hesitation. 

            "Ron!" this time he did not have the luxury of choosing whether or not to stop, as a distraught Hermione flung herself in front of him, grasping his shoulders and taking shuddering breaths. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face had reddened with desperate tears. She was clearly distressed. She was hurt.

_Good. _Ron was shocked at how unsympathetic he was towards her. Surely he should not be taking so much pleasure in Hermione's pain…

"Ron…" she gasped. His face remained unperturbed. "Ron…please…listen to me." 

He was silent, yet did not make any attempt to move.

She took this as an incentive to carry on.

"Look…I don't know how much you know. And I don't know how to tell you…but I never meant to hurt you."

He didn't dare to make a sound. He wasn't sure what would come out…the anger…the frustration…or the pain.

"You weren't meant to find out like this…" she started warily.

"Like this?" he exclaimed suddenly, causing her to jump at his sudden outburst. "No Hermione…I wasn't meant to find out _at all_."

"No!" she cried. "No, it wasn't like that! I wanted to tell you…really, I did!" 

"How long?" he said.

"How…how long what?" 

"How long has this been going on? How long have you and Malfoy been taking the piss out of me?"

"It's not like that! Honestly, I -"

            "How many people know?"

            "No one! Ron, please, I just -"

            "Was this intentionally to get to me?"

            "Why would you think -?"

            "I don't know, you tell me! Was this some sick plea for attention? Date the heir to all evil and get some reputation, was that it?"

            "No! That's not me, you know I'm not like that!"

            "Excuse the cliché, Hermione, but I don't know you."

            Hermione looked taken aback at this…why couldn't he understand?

            "But you do! You know me so well!"

            "The Hermione I know wouldn't lie like that." His face was back to its calm and cold set.

            "I never meant to…it just happened…"

            "All this time you said he'd raped you, and you had been sleeping with him wilfully."

            "NO! What? No! I haven't, its not…it's not like that! I never meant to say that, I haven't…I mean, Draco, we didn't -"

            "Draco now, is it? Great little relationship you've got there, I hope you're happy."

            "Ron, please, stop doing this! It's not a relationship!"

"Not a relationship? So its just the sex then, is it?"

            "Why are you saying this? There is no sex, it's not like that!"

            "Sure there is, you like to call it rape to make everyone feel sorry for you and all this time you've been a Slytherin whore."

            Hermione was speechless. Her tears came in huge shudders. _This isn't happening…this isn't Ron…_

            "So how many others? What about Blaise? He's your type, isn't he? An evil bastard, you seem to like them. Does Malfoy know you're just a whore?"

            "I'm not a whore!" she cried.

            "Then why are you with him!" 

            "Because I love him!"

            As soon as she said it she knew it was a mistake. Her hand flew to her mouth as she watched Ron's eyes widen and his mouth melt to a this line, not the cheeky grin which usually bestowed his friendly face. 

            "I…I didn't mean that. I mean, I didn't want to hurt…but it's just…" 

            "Get out of my face." He seethed, pronouncing every syllable crisply and impassively. 

            "Wh…what?" 

            "I said, _Slytherin_…get out of my face." 

            "Ron, please, don't do this, I'm so sorry…" she reached for his hand. He shook it off without hesitation.

            "Don't touch me, you slut. I don't want a whore like you in my life anymore." Hermione's arms dropped to her side and she felt her bottom lip quiver. The corridor was once again almost silent, the only sound being Ron's shoes softly padding along the stone floor as he walked confidently away from his ex-best-friend.  

*~*~*~*~*

            "Like I was saying," Blaise carried on, as the laughter around him died down. "Pansy just isn't the fuck everyone thinks she is. Seriously – that Hufflepuff I had the other week was better! A bloody Hufflepuff!"

            "I would've thought Pansy was alright; she gets enough practise after all." The fifth year Slytherin's remark was greeted with more laughter. "She's such a slut though – honestly, she even looks like a cheap whore."

            _I don't hear any of you complaining when she's with you_ Draco thought snidely. He was beginning to get so bored of this monotonous trail of conversation. It seemed every conversation he had with these so-called-friends revolved around their "conquests". Not that he wasn't interested – he was still a guy, after all – but sometimes it all seemed so bloody tedious. Especially now. Especially since Hermione. 

            "Hermione Granger." Draco snapped out of his own thoughts at the sound of her name.

            "What?" his sudden input to the conversation was greeted with mild surprise from his fellow Slytherins. 

            "I was just saying," said the fifth year boy slowly. "That even though there's something about the bookworm that somehow makes her sexy, I wouldn't do Granger. Nothing excuses being with a Mudblood." 

            "Oh, I don't know." Blaise smirked. _Sleazy prick _Draco thought angrily. "If the Dark Lord was to end the world tomorrow, I wouldn't kick her out of bed." 

            "Don't you dare." The smirks were wiped off the rest of the crowd's faces at Draco's sharp reprimand.

            "Oh I'm so sorry, your highness." Blaise, ever the clown, bowed mockingly. "How presumptuous of me. Please – feel free to fuck her first. If I'd realised you had such a crush on the Mudblood, I wouldn't have made such a remark. Just throw her my way when you're done, ok mate?" 

"Who said I had a crush on her?" Draco could feel his fists clench. "I don't crush. I'm _Draco fucking Malfoy_. People crush _on _me."

            "Well why else, _Draco fucking Malfoy, _are you getting so self-righteous about it? Admit it – filth as she is, you'd do her."

            Draco could feel every pair of eyes on him. They were standing in a deserted corridor near their common room; just him, Blaise and about fifteen other hormonal Slytherins.

            "I'm getting self-righteous, as you call it, because we are Slytherins and she is Gryffindor. We are pure and she is a Mudblood. And I do not commend the mixing of races, ok _mate_?" he wondered could they tell he did not mean a single word he said. 

            "Yeah, but -"

            "Keep the hell away from her, Zambini. I'm warning you. The Dark Lord would not take kindly."

            Blaise glared at him. Draco glared back. He had to protect Hermione from these sick bastards…even if it meant slandering her. 

            "Draco!" he froze at the sound of Hermione's cry. Blaise's eyebrow rose sceptically. "Here comes your lady-friend, Draco."

            "Draco…you have to help me! I don't know what to do!" Tears streamed down her face as she grasped his arm. He shook her off coldly. 

            "Maybe we should leave you and…that thing…alone." Blaise said, gesturing towards Hermione. He and the others walked off, smirking at Draco. 

            "What do you want, Her-Granger?" he said, once they had left. 

            She was shocked at his attitude, so different to what it had been before. She looked around to make sure the group of Slytheins had left. "Draco please – just tell them what's going on. I don't know what's happened – Ron won't talk to me. He's found out and now he's just being so cold and -"

            "Found out what?" Draco said coldly, looking down at her through narrowed eyes. "That you're nothing but a filthy Mudblood? Took him long enough. But you can't blame the Weasel for not wanting to be near you, can you?" 

            "Draco please…stop being like this."

            "Like what? And who the hell said you could call me Draco?" 

            "What? Draco…what's going on? Why are you being so cold?"

            "I don't associate with Mudbloods. Please remove yourself from my presence." 

            Hermione shook her head incredulously. "You're all the same. I fucking hate you. You're just like Ron, and Harry, and Viktor. You're all the same. Goodbye Malfoy." 

            She turned and walked away, leaving Draco staring after her. She really hated him. And could he blame her?

            "I know you're there, Blaise." He drawled lazily, rubbing his eyes. Blaise and the others walked out from behind the corner at the opposite end of the corridor. They stopped without coming near him. 

            They stared at him for a few moments before Blaise spoke. "Now why didn't I believe that little performance?" 

            Draco just stared at the floor. He held his head up and without looking back at the boys, turned and followed the path Hermione had taken moments prior. 

            "The Dark Lord does not take kindly, Malfoy!" Blaise called after his retreating form. He watched him turn a corner before lowering his voice to an inaudible whisper. "_Not kindly at all_." 

*~*~*~*~*

            "Hermione?" Draco asked the shuddering form on the floor warily. He was greeted with a cold stare.

            "Stay the fuck away from me." He knelt beside her and tried to hold her hand.

            "I'm sorry. I had to do that."

            "Did you not hear me, Malfoy? Stay away from me. I don't need you, or Ron, or anyone. Just stay away."

            "Maybe you don't need me but I need you."

            "Stop being so fucking cheesy."

            "Sorry." 

            They sat in silence, Hermione not meeting his apologetic gaze. 

            "Hermione…" He ventured.

            "Why did you say all that? And I want the truth."

            "Because I knew they were listening." 

            "They?"

            "My friends. I mean…the Slytherins."

            "No…you mean your friends."

            "They're not my friends. They don't matter."

            "Then you wouldn't have said what you just did, if they didn't matter."

            "It's not like that. I had to lie to -"

            "I lost Harry and Ron for you." She said, altering the truth.

            "You did?" She didn't answer. 

            "I thought you wanted to keep up the pretence though."

            "Well I didn't get a choice this time."

            "What happened?" Draco asked, after a moment's silence.

            "In short, they found out the truth, and now they hate me."

            "I'm sorry."

            "No you're not. You hate them."

            "I know."

            "I'm sorry your friends hate me."

            "No you're not. You hate them too."

            "I know."

            They sat in silence for a few more moments before they both started smiling. 

            "This is really fucked up." Draco said.

            "I know."

"I don't really care."

            "Me neither."

            "That's ok then."

            "I know."

            "That's starting to annoy me."

            "I know."

            "I wish you'd stop saying that."

            "I know."

            "I'll make you stop."

            "I know."

            He leaned in and softly kissed her. He pulled away and they smiled.

            "I don't want to lose you to the Slytherins."

            "I don't want to lose you to the Gryffindors."

            "Then what are we going to do?"

            Draco held her hand. "I don't know."

            "Maybe it would be easier if we just…stopped this."

            He looked at her. "Is that what you want?"

            "No." She said without hesitation.

            "Me neither. I say we come clean."

            "What?" she asked, shocked.

            "Tell everyone. We just need to stick together, ok?"

            She searched his eyes for a minute before agreeing. 

            "Ok." He smiled and put his arm around her, pulling him towards her. 

            "We don't need them."

            "I know." She whispered. "What's going to happen?"

            "I don't know. But we'll find out."

            Hermione nodded, leaning against his body. She closed her eyes as he kissed her hair. Ten seconds in and she was already scared of her new life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

*~*~*~*~*

_And there ends chapter 24. I am so incredibly amazingly completely sorry that this is so late – I honestly have not had the time to write. I last updated April and then I had exams May and June, then September was all coursework and school. The summer…went way too fast and I'm so sorry I didn't get to update._

_Thank you all for your reviews – they really really do help with the story, they inspire me with ideas and also motivate me to write. I'm especially sorry to my faithful reviewers – Femme Fatale, Chaotic Slytherin, LostAngel, Lilmissfrenchy – just a few among many. I usually answer most reviews but I think someone mentioned that it takes away from the story writing such a long after-note. If you have an answer you'd like answered, say so in your review and I'll either post it or email you back. _

_As always, please leave your email address if you'd like to know when I update._

_ And I still don't own anything but the plot._


	25. Forsaken

**Forsaken**

"If that's what she wants to do, who are we to stop her?" Harry mused, flicking pieces of mud out of the end of his broom. He made a mental note not to fall in the mud during Quidditch again.

"_Who are we?"_ Ron repeated incredulously. The bedroom was desolate bar the two teenagers and Ron's footsteps echoed off the aged flooring as he anxiously paced back and forth. "Who the hell are we? We, Harry, are Hermione's best friends! It is our moral duty to protect her from the perils of the Wizarding world! We are her only protectors in this dark and sordid world! We are her only non-muggle friends! We may well be her only friends on the entire planet!"

"Well…not really." Harry countered, examining the mud that had managed to creep behind his nails. "There's Lavender, and Parvati, and Neville…oh and Hannah, and -"

"Harry, shut up." Ron spat, not even looking at Harry as he continued to pace the floor.

"I was just saying -"

"I know what you were _just saying_ and it was completely unhelpful, as usual. We can't allow Hermione to do this."

"I don't think she's really asking for permission, Ron…"

"Harry!" Ron cried exasperatedly. "I don't bloody well care if she's asking us for permission or asking us to be bloody ring-bearers, she's not going to go near that piece of scum!"

Harry looked at Ron wistfully.

"Do you really reckon she'd ask us to be ring-bearers? What exactly would I have to do? I'm not terribly good at speeches."

Ron delivered a swift slap to the back of Harry's head.

"Aren't you meant to be an extraordinary Wizard, Harry? Use some bloody common sense!" Ron screamed. Harry took this to mean Ron was serious.

"We cannot, under any circumstances, stand back and let her ruin her teenage life with _him_." He seethed. He began to pace the room again. "She doesn't understand the Dark Arts."

"Hermione probably knows more about any given topic that you and I do put together."

"Harry!"

"Sorry." Harry was silent for a moment before continuing. "But didn't you say to her last night that you didn't want her in your life anymore?"

Ron stopped in his tracks for a moment and considered what Harry had said before returning to a nervous but determined pace. He looked ashamed.

"I was angry."

"So? You still said it."

"I wasn't thinking straight."

"Yeah, but you still -"

"So what do you suggest we do then, Potter?" Ron interrupted sarcastically. "Just let them get on with it? Pat them on the back and congratulate them? Maybe we should throw in a bunch of frigging flowers."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron." Harry said, standing up to face Ron, suddenly focusing on the subject at hand and turning his full attention to Ron. "I'm not happy at all about it. And I never will be. I'm just saying, if she wants to be with Draco then she can."

Ron's face reddened with anger.

"_Draco_? On first name terms now, are we? So are you, Draco and Hermione a little threesome now? Oh - that'll be cosy, Harry!"

"I'm serious!" Harry said. Ron stopped and looked at him. Harry sat down on his bed again and returned to preening his broom. When he spoke again, it was through clenched teeth. "I've made my decision now. If Hermione decides to forsake us for Draco, then that's ok. And -"

"I can't believe you're saying this! Have you no idea what he is -"

"_And_!" Harry persevered, glaring at Ron for his interruption. "If she is so persistent with this whole Draco affair, then fine…they can be together. But if she thinks for one minute that she can have Draco and still keep her friends…well; she's got it terribly wrong."

Draco's hands were sweating. First Transfiguration class with Hermione. First Transfiguration class with Hermione _as a couple_.

He couldn't help but smile at that thought.

She wasn't there yet. None of the Gryffindors were there yet, actually. Just the Slytherins. And him. Was he still a Slytherin? It was hard to tell. None of them were really talking to him after what Blaise and a few others had seen. Well, except Crabbe and Goyle. But they weren't exactly the Einsteins' of conversation anyway. Seeing Hermione meant he wasn't badass enough for Zambini and friends anymore. He didn't really see why though – he hadn't changed. He was still Draco Malfoy, heir to Lucius Malfoy and the Malfoy wealth and status. He wasn't angelically flawless now just because he was officially seeing Hermione. He wasn't suddenly a good boy and he most certainly was not Potter.

But he was better than any of those other Slytherins, standing there gawking at some Ravenclaw's breasts. '_Narrow minded twats' _he pondered.

_ '…I died so many years ago…'_

Draco looked up at the sound of music. By now, music in Hogwarts generally meant there was a Gryffindor nearby. Which, recently, had become a very good thing.

_'…But you can make me feel like it isn't so…'_

"Morning." He whispered in her ear as he managed to sneak up behind her. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and she smiled nervously.

"Not here." She whispered, pulling her face away.

"Why not?"

"Because…someone will see."

Draco stopped and pulled Hermione to the side. The corridor was crowded and they were lost from sight in the swarm of teenagers going to class.

"And what? I thought we agreed last night that…" he trailed off. She was looking around nervously.

"Look, I know. And I agree. We should tell. But Draco – it's first thing in the morning. We don't have to tell people _now_."

"But why not? It's the best time! All the Gryffindors and Slytherins in our year are here. Surely if we're to make an announcement -"

"_Announcement_?" She hissed incredulously. "I thought we were just going to tell a few close friends!"

"What's the point in that? I'd rather just do it in one sweep, not have rumours and gossiping!"

"Class time is no time for distractions, Draco."

"Hermione!" he hissed, getting angry. Her calm and apathetic attitude was beginning to irritate him. "Why do you not want to do this? You said yourself that -"

"Yes I'm very well aware of what I said, thank you very much." She sighed. "I just…I want to sort things out first."

Draco looked sceptical. "What things?"

Hermione looked at two boys standing at the other end of the corridor.

"Not again!" Draco sighed angrily. "I thought all this rubbish with Potty and Weasel was sorted last night!"

"Don't call them that!" she hissed indignantly. She pushed her hair behind her ear and bit her lip. "And no, it wasn't. They shut themselves away in their room all evening. I haven't spoken to them since Ron slapped me."

"Can't believe that mongrel hit you, I'll fucking kill -"

"Oh shut up, Draco. Listen, I'll see you later. I'm going over to talk to Parvati. And get this silly notion of an announcement out of your head – it's a relationship, not a World Summit meeting."

"Hermione! Wait!" Draco tried to hang on to her arm but she shook him off as she walked away.

'…You're scared, ashamed of what you feel and you can't tell the ones you love…you know they couldn't deal…'

'_Well what the fucking hell was that all about?' _He thought to himself.

_'…Well that's great but I don't wanna play…but being with you touches me more than I can say…'_

The class slowly filtered through the doors to the Transfiguration classroom. Hermione hoped she hadn't been too harsh on Draco. She knew he was only trying but she was scared of what people's reactions would be. In fact, no…she knew what their reactions would be. And she had every right to be scared.

She walked over to her normal seat beside Harry and Ron and smiled tentatively.

"This seat's taken." Harry said, glaring at her. His eyes were cold and menacing behind his old glasses and Hermione was shocked at his antagonism.

"But…Harry…" She started.

"It's taken." He put his bag on the third seat and turned back to his open book on the table. Hermione looked hopefully at Ron.

"Ron…listen…"

"You heard what he said, Hermione." He said hoarsely. His voice was little more than a whisper and barely audible as he looked at the ground.

"But…But this is where I usually sit."

Harry's gaze did not flutter from the pages of his textbook.

"Well, you're not usually fucking Deatheaters."

"He's not a…" She trailed off. They didn't want to listen to her making excuses for Draco. No one did.

She turned round to look for a new seat. Draco's eyes widened and motioned to the seat beside him hopefully. She sent him a stern look.

"Parvati – can I sit beside you and Lavender today? Just for today." Parvati looked a bit taken aback but agreed and pulled the chair out for her. Hermione calmly composed herself and began to take the necessary textbooks out of her bag.

"Why's she sitting with us?" Lavender hissed at Parvati. Hermione pretended not to hear her.

"I don't know. She just is." Parvati hissed back.

"But why isn't she sitting with Harry and Ron?" Lavender hissed again.

"I don't know that either. Ask her yourself." Hermione looked at her books and pretended to be absorbed in them. They had never looked so inviting until it meant a distraction from this tedious conversation.

"Oi! Hermione!" Hermione gripped her book harder, pretending she was oblivious to life around her. "Oi!" Lavender shut the textbook and Hermione looked pleasantly surprised to see her inquisitive face looking at her.

"Why are you not sitting with Harry and Ron? Had a falling out have you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yeah…something like that."

"Oooh, we love falling outs, don't we Parvati?" she gushed, her eyes glowing with glee. "So what happened then?"

Parvati turned round to involve herself more in the inquiry while Lavender carried on bombarding Hermione with questions.

"I can't really say."

"Why not? Come on…you can tell us."

"Look, it's personal. Ok?"

"But Hermione! That's what girls are for! Sharing girly gossip! Honestly – you've been hanging round boys for too long. You need some female influence in your life, that's what you need."

Hermione gritted her teeth.

"Look…it's not as easy as that. It's really complicated."

"Oh." Lavender nodded wisely. "Oh ok. We understand."

Both girls turned away to face the front. Lavender had a smug smile on her face. She leaned into Parvati to whisper somewhat indiscreetly.

"Told you she was screwing them."

"Well I thought they were just friends!"

"But I knew better."

"Well how was I meant to know?"

"'Cause I said to you, didn't I? I said '_Here Parvati – I reckon that Hermione's doing Ron and Harry.'_ And then you went '_Nah they just mates, Lav!_' and then I goes '_Nah honest – I reckon she's doing them both!'_ and then you went '_But Lav – ain't she a lesbian?'"_

"Yeah…and you agreed with me then!"

"Well yeah. I mean…they do say it's always the quiet ones…"

"Here Lavender – maybe she is a lesbian! But she's doing Harry and Ron too! Maybe Ron and Harry are girls dressed up!"

"Ooooh Parvati! I never thought of that! You might be on to something there!"

Hermione realised she was grinding her teeth. Did they honestly believe she couldn't hear them? Parvati's radio was still going. Why was this the one day Professor McGonagall had to be late?

"Here Parvati -" Lavender murmured. "Do you reckon that lesbian-ism is contagious?"

Hermione clenched her fists. She could not stand trivial and unintelligent girlish behaviour. That was why she had always stuck to hanging around with guys. Like Ron. And Harry. But they weren't interested anymore. No one was. She was alone.

Almost.

She quickly scribbled a few words down on a spare piece of parchment and folded it neatly.

"Dean?" she said to the boy on her left. She held out the parchment. "Could you please pass this over to Malfoy?"

'_…You know, you got a willing slave…and you just love to play the part that you might misbehave…'_

Draco was angry. Draco did not like being angry. Other people did not like Draco being angry. Draco made bloody sure of that.

What was she playing at? First she agrees that they should come clean to everyone, then next minute she doesn't want to be seen with him. What's so wrong with a public announcement anyway? It's the quickest and easiest way to announce something. That's why it's called an announcement. To announce things. It's straightforward really. 

Where did she get off treating him like that? It was time she learnt to respect the Malfoy name. Except that she would never fall for that. She was too independent and intelligent for that kind of crap. That was one of her annoyingly amazing qualities. 

But if she wasn't prepared to come clean…maybe he should just leave it. He'd thought that a lot over the past few days but hadn't been able to do it. Maybe it would be easier on both of them if they did. Maybe it would be easier on him. 

If only he could actually get the balls to walk away. For good. 

_'…I know I should go but I follow you like a man possessed…There's a traitor here beneath my breast and it hurts me more than you've ever guessed…'_

Why hadn't she sat with him? It would have been the perfect excuse – no where else to sit therefore _forced_ to sit with Malfoy because she had been shunned by her own kind thus any subsequent relationships would be completely down to the Gryffindors. It was genius. In fact, no – it was _ingenious_. So why didn't she see it that way? Why, instead, sit with Parvati and Lavender and leave him – the boy whom the night before she had confessed love to _again_ – with nothing but a cold and disconcerting glare? 

_'…If my heart could beat it would break my chest but I can see you're unimpressed so leave me be and let me rest…'_

That was it. 

It was over. 

Again. 

Kind of. 

Crap. 

"Malfoy." 

"What do you want?" he spat at the Gryffindor boy who dared to interrupt his musings. 

"Trust me, _Slytherin_, I don't want anything from you. Hermione sent this for you." Dean chucked the folded parchment at him and turned away with a sneer. 

Draco unfolded the paper and smoothed out the creases, placing it on his lap so that no prying eyes could read. Why was Hermione sending him letters in class? 

"_Draco,_

_ I can't take anymore. I don't care what any of them think. The only one on my side is Ginny. The rest don't matter anymore. Make the announcement._

_Love Hermione._

_P.S It's still not a World Summit meeting."_

Draco stared at the note in amazement. 

She wanted to make the announcement. 

The announcement was going to be made. 

He would tell everyone about their relationship. 

Though he would never admit to Hermione that he had no idea what a World Summit Meeting was. 

_What can I say? I apologise profusely for this being so late. Exams, illness and lack of ideas all contributed to my tardiness but I hope this was worth the wait, although it's more of a foundation for the next chapter (which is well under way and I hope to have up relatively soon). It has been suggested that these notes be made shorter and I definitely agree so from now on if you have any questions or queries in regards to the story just post them in a review with your email address and I'll email you back ASAP. Thank you again for your patience and persistence.  
__mystical xx_


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